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5 Dead In Horror 24 'Hours Of Sadness' On Victorian Roads

Five men have lost their lives on the state's roads in a single day.
Victoria Police want motorists to slow down after a nightmare period on the state's roads.
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Victoria Police want motorists to slow down after a nightmare period on the state's roads.

Police are pleading with Victorian drivers to take extra care on the state's roads after five men were killed in separate rural smashes in the past 24 hours.

The horror period started about 8am Friday when a 39-year-old man died at the scene after his car struck a tree in Beaufort.

Then at 4.30pm, a 66-year-old cyclist was killed when he was struck by a car on the Benalla-Yarrawonga Road in Devenish.

On Saturday morning, another fatal crash occurred on the Bacchus Marsh Road in Bacchus Marsh about 2am, with the male driver of a ute losing control of his vehicle and smashing into a tree.

The fifth death of the period took place on the Phillip Island Road, Newhaven, about 4.15am Saturday when a man in his 20s lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree.

Assistant Police Commissioner Doug Fryer said it was important that people remembered the devastation caused by road deaths.

"Every four hours yesterday our emergency services had to attend another road death; police had to knock on another door and tell someone that a person they loved was never coming home.

"This weekend I'm pleading with everyone to re-think their driving behaviour and make those adjustments which ensure they get home safely."

The shocking 24 hours marks a tragic turn from a positive trend on Victoria's road toll in 2017. The five deaths take this year's lives lost to 55 compared to 78 at the same time last year.

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