A man has been airlifted to hospital with life-threatening head injuries after a collision between a car and a truck on the Hume Freeway.
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The truck driver has been arrested and is assisting police with their investigation.
Emergency services were called to the freeway at Benalla about 12.30am on Sunday
Ambulance Victoria spokesman Paul Bentley said a man, 70, was treated for head injuries.
He was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition.
"There was another man assessed at the scene," he said of the truck driver, 22.
"He wasn't taken to hospital."
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The southbound lanes were closed near Benalla Tatong Road as Major Collision Investigation Unit officers examined the area.
Sergeant Steve Jones said the cause was under investigation.
Police have appealed for witnesses or people with dashcam footage to come forward.
The crash came ahead of Tuesday's national day of action to combat the road toll, which has increased in NSW and Victoria this year.
Wangaratta Senior Sergeant Darren Wittingslow said all police jurisdictions were joining the cause.
"The mantra is that enough is enough in relation to the road toll," he said.
"We'll be focusing on rural roads predominantly, particularly high speed rural zones which is where the majority of road trauma occurs.
"It's still local people harming themselves on local roads.
"We know the majority of road trauma in some way relates to driver behaviour.
"We will be focusing on the behaviour of drivers."
Senior Sergeant Wittingslow urged drivers to take responsibility for their actions on the road.
He said there would be more police on the road and said drivers needed to slow to 40km/h when passing.
