Work to combat the road toll is taking place after a horror start to 2020, the state government says.
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Six people have now been killed on Victoria's roads since the beginning of the year, four more than in 2019.
Two people died within hours of each other in unrelated crashes a night ago, one of which was in Castlemaine.
A 12-year-old girl survived the Castlemaine crash and was taken to hospital, but a woman aged in her 40s died at the scene.
Acting roads minister Jacinta Allan said every one of those who have died had a grieving family and community.
"These are very tragic circumstances and that's why we are so determined to continue the roll-out of wire rope barriers, so determined to continue the roll-out of road improvements across the region," she said.
She and the heads of the TAC and Roads Safety Victoria visited Ravenswood on Wednesday to discuss newly released data showing nearly three quarters of people dying on country roads were in their local area.
"They are regional people travelling very, very close to home," Ms Allan said.
"It's those factors like speed, long distances as people travel country roads."
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In 2019 ninety-four people were killed when their vehicles ran off the road or collided with another.
Nearly all were travelling in high speed zones.
Ms Allan said a roll-out of safety barriers would help drive down the toll. The government wants to add another 340km of barriers on roads this year on high-risk roads.
It was already having an impact on roads where barriers had been installed, with deaths nearly halved on those stretches, Ms Allan said.
"You just have to look at the experience last year on the Hume Freeway. Previously the Hume has been the road where we've seen the most lives lost in regional communities," she said.
"In 2019 there were no lives lost along it and that is largely attributable to wire rope barriers."
More work on rumble strips, gateways to regional towns and upgrades at key intersections would start this year, Ms Allan said.
That action is needed after 266 people were killed in 2019, Road Safety Victoria head Robyn Seymour said.
"We know we can do better, we know we can do more and we are committed to doing that," she said.
"But this is a joint effort with the government, road safety partners and the community. We all need to do our part and we ask you that when you head out every day you are doing yours to stay safe."