SO far this year three lives have been lost on Griffith roads.
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Those deaths have left families grieving and a community shattered as it struggles to cope.
By comparison, at this time last year Griffith's roads were fatality-free.
The loss of life has left Griffith City Council road safety officer Greg Balind joining the call to raise awareness during Rural Road Safety Month.
Australian Road Safety Foundation research reveals that 78 per cent of drivers admit to risky behaviour when behind the wheel, while one-in-five confess to being more likely to break a road rule in rural areas.
Speed, fatigue and drink driving are the three most significant behavioural factors in fatal and serious injury crashes on NSW roads.
On country roads, speed is a factor in around 41 per cent of fatalities, fatigue 25 per cent, drink driving 21 per cent and presence of drug driving 23 per cent.
If you're not comfortable or confident, you don't have to stick to 100km/h, why not pull it back to 90km/h.
- Griffith City Council road safety officer Greg Balind
Mr Balind said while the major contributing factors may be important, he said driving to the conditions and your ability is just as vital.
"If you're not comfortable or confident, you don't have to stick to 100km/h, why not pull it back to 90km/h," he said.
"Drive at a speed where if an unexpected thing happens you've got time to react."
Mr Balind said complacency when driving roads you think you know well is also a major problem
"It's the 'I've driven down this road a thousand times' it's the 'I know this corner'," he said.
"Conditions on country roads can change in an instant. There could be road damage by water, stock on the road or other hazards."
Transport for NSW deputy secretary for safety, environment and regulation Tara McCarthy said country people make up only a third of NSW's population, but last year deaths on country roads made up nearly more than two thirds of the road toll.
"Country roads have a greater proportion of higher speed limits compared to metropolitan roads," she said.
"These higher speeds, combined with the most common crash types on country roads, which is running off the road into an object or head on into an oncoming vehicle, result in a higher likelihood of fatal injuries."
NSW Government road safety projects
As part of the NSW Government's Safer Roads Program, from 2018-19 to 2020-21, a number of road safety projects are being rolled out in Griffith and the Riverina.
In the Griffith LGA: $746,000 is being invested on The Kidman Way at Hanwood for culvert extensions, wider shoulders and increased clear zones.
Across the Riverina: $71 million is being invested in 10 projects including $37.5 million on the Olympic Highway and $27.5 million on the Sturt Highway for the delivery of flexible safety barriers, wide centre line and rumble strips.