Among those killed were a 27-year-old Beaufort man and a man in his 20’s who died at Bacchus Marsh on Saturday morning. 

Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said while this year’s road toll was significantly lower than at the same time year it was important to remember that real people are behind the statistics. 

“Every four hours yesterday our emergency services had to attend another road death,” Assistant Commissioner Fryer said. 

“Police had to knock on another door and tell someone that a person they loved was never coming home.”

So far 55 people have been killed on the state’s roads compared to 78 at the same time last year.

“Each one of those five people killed had a family, a history, a story. They’re not just a number in a toll.”

MCIU detectives are a crash which occurred on the Bacchus Marsh Road in Bacchus Marsh about 2am this morning.

It’s believed the male driver of a ute lost control of his vehicle, which then left the road and struck a tree.

Police are looking at a range of factors during investigations of all the five fatal accidents including speed, alcohol, fatigue and poor driver behaviour.

“This weekend I’m pleading with everyone to re-think their driving behaviour and make those adjustments which ensure they get home safely,” Assistant Commissioner Fryer said. 

Police are also concerned after three people were killed in tractor incidents recently including a 68-year-old Meredith man. The incident occurred on private property and is not included in the road toll.

WorkSafe has been notified and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.