In just a few short hours at the weekend, four people lost their lives in horrific crashes across central Victoria.

Three of those killed where travelling in the same car when it and a truck collided on the Western Highway near Burrumbeet.

These people were returning from an old-time dance at Burrumbeet, where they had spent their last few hours laughing and having fun.

Killed was an 82-year-old Beaufort man, an 81-year-old Maryborough man and a 72-year-old Castlemaine woman.

In another tragedy on our roads at the weekend, a 23-year-old Maryborough man was killed when the car he was travelling in hit a tree.

In just an 18-hour block at the weekend, six people died on Victorian roads.

Already the state’s road toll has hit 90, a staggering 14 more than at the same time last year.

And one of Victoria’s top cops says all six deaths at the weekend could have been avoided.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer cited speed, fatigue, distraction and impairment as factors in all the tragedies.

The Transport Accident Commission has called for a significant investment in infrastructure as a way to prevent deaths, including trialing wire barriers placed between lanes.

This infrastructure is in recognition that drivers do make mistakes on the roads and the barriers will go a long way to preventing head-on tragedies.

Any initiative which helps saves lives is a good thing.

But motorists, too, need to be less complacent and more alert on our roads. It shouldn’t come down to a piece of infrastructure to make our roads safer.

Good drivers who obey the road rules, who don’t drive when they are tired, who are not easily distracted are really what it takes to achieve a zero road toll.

Being cautious on our roads is never more important than in the coming winter months, when drivers have to content with sometimes horrendous weather conditions like rain, fog and storms.

So please, take care on our roads, because 90 deaths in less than four months is 90 too many.