The move has been welcomed by road safety expert and retired police officer, Paul Dawson, who said there is a need to continue to push the road toll down. 

The holiday period in the Riverina region saw a 19-year-old dying from injuries sustained during a crash at Galore and two dead after a fiery accident near Temora. 

Mr Dawson said even one death is too many. 

“The big thing is the country roads we have a lower population, but there’s a lot of vehicle traffic,” he said. “The Sturt Highway and the Newell Highways, yes you have a lot locals, but you have to remember there is a lot of out-of-area traffic.”

Mr Dawson said country roads have been put on the backburner because of this misconception.

“They keep talking about how the 2018 road toll was lower than 2017, but that’s still hundreds of people dying on our roads,” he said. “They spend the money where the population is, but that population comes to us. People are travelling long distances and we have groups such as the grey nomads on our roads – this high amount of traffic needs to be considered.” 

Mr Dawson welcomed the announcement of funding and said we need to continue to make sure people aren’t dying on roads. This week, Deputy Premier John Barilaro joined Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey to announce the funding. 

“We are serious about reducing the state’s road toll and this unprecedented funding will help prevent the loss of lives and serious injuries incurred from road trauma across our state,” Mr Barilaro said. “It’s estimated more than a thousand fatal and serious injuries can be prevented through these measures.”

Ms Pavey said improvements include installing 113 kilometres of safety barriers, 3000 kilometres of rumble strips and 2800 kilometres of wide centreline to prevent run off road and head on crashes.

“Last year, there were 26 fewer fatalities on country roads than in 2017,” she said. “While this is encouraging, it’s important not to become complacent.

“We are committed to building safer roads.”