However, there has been a rise in the number of major injuries recorded at vehicle crashes within Wagga City Council's boundaries.

NSW Police Southern Region Command recorded 10 fatalities within the Riverina Police District in 2019 compared with 16 in 2018.

Tumut paramedic John Larter said its was great to see such a big drop in road deaths.

"It's a massive improvement but it only takes one catastrophe and that number can change but it does demonstrate that across the board all the agencies are working to reduce deaths."

The NSW Government Centre for Road Safety completed a detailed report late last month of vehicle crash deaths and injuries across the state during 2018.

Road deaths within Wagga's council area have decreased from three per year in 2014 and 2015 to two per year in 2018, but the number of serious injuries increased from 44 to 69 over the past two years.

Mr Larter said it was possible that better car safety and medical interventions were saving people's lives and therefore they were counted as seriously injured rather than deceased.

"The new facilities at Wagga Base Hospital might have had an impact. It is certainly a lot better orientated for trauma patients than the old one was," he said.

"I think it could be a combination of things and some of it might just be sheer luck.

"All the government agencies, be they health departments or local governments or police or ambulance, are working towards reducing the road toll.

Mr Larter said road safety messaging and the growing social condemnation of drink driving could also be having an effect.

Riverina Police District also participated in Operation Safe Arrival, which ran from December 19 to January 4 with double demerits for speeding, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet offences.

During that time, police in the Riverina issued 35 infringement notices for seatbelt offences and 246 notices for speeding (not including offences detected by cameras) and performed 10,875 random breath tests.

NSW Police provided The Daily Advertiser with the road toll and Operation Safe Arrival statistics but did not make further comment.