Seventy per cent more people died on Wangaratta region roads in 2023 than in the previous year.
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Figures supplied by Victoria Police showed 17 lives were lost in the Wangaratta police service area, which includes Moira, up from 10 in 2022.
The deaths resulted from 11 fatal collisions. The five-year average for the area is 7.8 deaths on the roads.
Wodonga and Benalla police service areas also recorded above-average numbers in their 2023 road tolls.
There were eight lives lost in Wodonga from five incidents, compared with three deaths the previous year and a five-year average of 4.8.
Benalla's 10 fatalities, from seven collisions, was the same number as in 2022. The five year-average for this area is 6.2 lives lost.
Sergeant Cameron Miller, of Wangaratta Highway Patrol, said distraction was a common theme in his region's incidents.
"It can be the people in your car, it can be your device, your mobile phone, even potentially your radio," he said.
"Some of them we're never going to know and others we do."
While police and emergency services must attend fatal incidents, the effect on individual officers could be significant.
"We try to limit the exposure, for non-essential people, but at the end of the day, we work in small offices in smallish communities and the same people keep going to the same jobs," Sergeant Miller said.
"Ultimately it impacts everybody, the organisation, all of the emergency services and of course the community because they're often people from the local community."
"There could have been better trip planning, so people leave their runs a bit late, and they're starting to arrive at their destinations later than they want and they're edging up the speed a little bit, I think that's what we were seeing," Sergeant Miller said.
He encouraged drivers to plan ahead, make sure they've allowed enough travel time and take adequate breaks.
"And have some time up your sleeve for unexpected things, maybe just delays in the traffic, simply because you're not the only one going to your destination," he said.
One "interesting phenomenon" noticed by Wangaratta Highway Patrol was drivers speeding while overtaking.
"They think that exceeding the speed limit to overtake is OK, I don't where that comes from, it's obviously not, but it's not an uncommon response, 'I was overtaking another vehicle'," the sergeant said.
"My hope is that 2024 looks nothing like 2023, and I want everyone to enjoy living in the region and visiting the region and to get to where they need to go safely and then home again safely."
