Nicholas Mongta, 22, was among those killed when the silver Holden Commodore he was travelling in struck a tree south of Pyalong on January 28.

Coroner Peter White found the “four young lives were needlessly lost” after the driver, Joshua Taylor, lost control of the car, having earlier consumed methamphetamine.

Mr White found the “young and inexperienced driver” drifted across the wrong side of the road about 6.30am.

The vehicle then left the road, striking a wire rope barrier before travelling down an embankment, tipping onto its side and striking a tree.

Toxicology testing showed the presence of methamphetamine in the blood of all four men with the level present in Mr Taylor’s blood “extremely high”, producing “a severe detrimental effect on his ability to drive safely”.

“I am satisfied that all passengers were affected by their earlier substance abuse and as a result appear to have lost their ability to make appropriate judgements as to whether to join in the decision to undertake, or to continue on, this particular journey,” Mr White wrote.

VicRoads regional director Mal Kersting testified that while the outcome of the crash may have been different if the wire rope barrier had been longer, the risk of a north-bound vehicle crossing into the path of oncoming traffic and then leaving the road “would not have been a primary consideration” in installing the barrier.

Mr White found neither the positioning nor design of the barriers were contributing factors in the men’s death.

“I find rather that this accident was caused as a result of the failure to control the movement of a vehicle by a young and inexperienced driver whose earlier consumption of methamphetamine had severely impacted upon his ability to maintain a proper level of control over his vehicle,” he wrote.

“The various decisions made by VicRoads concerning the introduction of this program of road improvement were proper and reasonable and in the public interest.

“The circumstances of this case again highlight the dangers of the use of methamphetamine, in particular, in the context of driving.”