Forty people died on Australia's roads over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, up from 34 last year.
NSW had the most fatalities over the two-week break, with 12, followed by Victoria, with nine.
The holiday road toll period ended tragically on Tuesday with five killed in one of the deadliest days on the nation's roads over the fortnight.
Two truck drivers died on Tuesday afternoon after their vehicles collided and caught fire in a horror smash at Griffith in NSW's Riverina region.
The same afternoon an elderly driver died in a two-car crash at Mount Marlow in the Whitsundays, Queensland.
The carnage wasn't over, with a man fatally hit by a truck at Warwick in southern Queensland about 10.30pm.
He was the second pedestrian to die in southern Queensland that day after a woman was hit about 4am while crossing the road at Caboolture.
The worst day for road deaths over the holiday period was Tuesday, December 27, when eight died following road smashes, including a nine-year-old boy.
Thirty-four people were killed on Australian roads over the Christmas-New Year period in 2015/16.
* The national holiday road toll period ran from 0001 December 23, 2016 until 2359 January 3, 2017, local times.
HOLIDAY TOLL BY STATE
NSW 12
Victoria 9
Queensland 8
Western Australia 6
South Australia 4
Australian Capital Territory 0
Tasmania 0
Northern Territory 1
NATIONAL TOTAL: 40
AAP mf
Share
