POLICE will strengthen their focus on road safety after two deaths in the Hepburn region within 24 hours.
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Both of the people who died - a male driver aged in his 80s following a collision at Korweinguboora on Friday afternoon and a cyclist aged in his 50s at Eganstown on Saturday morning - lived in the Hepburn area.
The deaths bring the total number of lives lost across the Hepburn region to six this year.
Acting Sergeant Ryan Newman, from Daylesford Police Station, attended both incidents.
Road safety is one of the divisional priorities for the region's police this year and he urged people to take care and focus on the road when they jump behind the wheel.
While traffic and serious and fatality collisions have decreased due to restrictions put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus, police are preparing to focus more on road safety with the onset of spring and the likelihood restrictions will ease soon.
"We have certainly noticed that there is a larger amount of traffic on the road due to the nice weather and people choosing to get out and about," Acting Sergeant Newman said.
As the restrictions reduce, we're expecting more people to be on our roads. It is an area that we will pay close attention to - speeding, driver inattention, distraction and drink and drug driving.
- Acting Sergeant Ryan Newman
"As the restrictions reduce, we're expecting more people to be on our roads. It is an area that we will pay close attention to - speeding, driver inattention, distraction and drink and drug driving.
"It is all at the forefront of our minds to get out there and police."
Hepburn Shire Council mayor Cr Licia Kokocinski said while it was devastating to the families of those killed, it was also devastating for the wider community.
"For a family member to go out for whatever reason and not come home - I can't imagine it," she said.
"Everybody knows everybody in a small country town so it's a really sad time.
"People grieve for the families and everybody tries to see if there's anything that could have prevented it."
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incidents.
Police understand the elderly man had been travelling south on the Ballan-Daylesford Road about 3.15pm on Friday. For an unknown reason, his car left the road at speed and collided head-on with a large tree at Korweinguboora.
Paramedics attended but he passed away before he could be flown to Melbourne in the air ambulance.
Then, just before 10am on Saturday morning, a male cyclist aged in his 50s was cycling south west along the Midland Highway at Eganstown when he was struck by a car travelling in the same direction.
The driver of the car, an 81-year-old Newlyn man, stopped at the scene.
He was taken into custody on Saturday but was released as police continue to investigate.
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The section of road was closed for most of the day as Victoria Police's Major Collision Investigation Unit reconstructed the scene.
Police have prepared reports for the coroner.
In addition to the two fatalities in recent days, there have been four driver deaths around the Hepburn region this year.
In January, a driver died following a crash at Mt Cameron, near Clunes. Just days afterwards, a young man died after a crash at Coomoora. Mere days after that, a woman died after crashing into a tree on Ajax Road in Hepburn.
In May, a Musk Vale man died after rolling his car on the Ballan-Daylesford Road at Korweinguboora.
Since 2010, there have been 145 road fatalities in the region - encompassing the City of Ballarat and Golden Plains, Hepburn, Moorabool and Pyrenees shires. The majority of these fatalities have been drivers followed by passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists.
As of June 30, there had been two cyclist fatalities and 54 claims for hospitalisation across the region since 2010.
One of these cyclist fatalities was well-loved Creswick man and dedicated Country Fire Authority member Mark Spenceley, who was struck by a car while riding near Clunes last year.
According to Victoria Police, 147 people have died on Victorian roads this year, compared to 182 last year.
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