Mr Shepherd, 40, suffered critical head injuries while a female passenger escaped relatively unscathed after their sedan suddenly lost control and flipped in Wallace about 1.40am.

Emergency crews worked to extract Mr Shepherd from the wreckage before airlifting him to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remained with family at his bedside in the intensive care unit until his death on January 31.

He was in an induced coma for more than four weeks, with doctors telling the family his head injuries were too severe to operate on.

Victoria Police did not initially release information to the media about Mr Shepherd’s death as it was outside a reporting period and would not officially be added to this year’s road toll.

A death needs to be within 28 days after a crash for it to be added to the yearly list.

“A man has died following a single vehicle crash in Wallace on January 1,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman told The Courier this week.

“The crash occurred on the Western Freeway about 1.40am.

“The driver died on January 31. Due to the death being outside of the reporting period, it will not be added to lives lost.”

Mr Shepherd, whose funeral was held in Ballarat yesterday, leaves behind three children aged in their 20s and teens.

He is also survived by his three sisters and mother.

The fatal crash occurred during a 24-day road safety blitz across the Ballarat region called Operation Roadwise.

Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer, Victoria’s top traffic cop, previously urged motorists to stay alert.

“This is not the start we wanted in 2018 and it's certainly not the start we needed for all Victorians,” he said.

“The message for 2018 has been keep it cool … whether it's on the roads, the pubs, the clubs, the street. 

“I just want everyone to take their time, slow right down and get there safely."