Three people have died with two others left in a serious but stable condition following a two-vehicle crash in Tasmania's south.
In a statement, Tasmania Police said at approximately 5:10pm on Saturday, a blue Toyota Corolla was travelling north along the South Arm Highway when the 27-year-old male driver lost control of the vehicle and veered onto the wrong side of the road.
The male driver and two passengers, a 28-year-old male and 19-year-old female from Howrah, were killed when the Toyota collided with a south bound black Volkswagen vehicle.
The driver of the Volkswagen, a 20-year-old male from Rokeby and his passenger, a 20-year-old woman from South Arm, were taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital for treatment.
Police said they are in a serious but stable condition.
"It appears that a vehicle travelling towards Hobart has lost control and gone to the wrong side of the road where it's been struck by another vehicle that was heading in the opposite direction," Inspector Luke Manhood said.
"It's a devastating incident, to lose three lives in one crash is horrendous," Inspector Manhood said.
"It's an absolutely tragic loss of life, every crash is avoidable, we just need people to take more responsibility, more care with their driving."
Asked whether the driver had lost control because the road was dangerous, Inspector Luke Manhood said it didn't appear to be so, however that was a matter for investigation.
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have seen the blue Toyota Corolla in the area prior to the accident.
Inspector Luke Manhood said Tasmania Police was doubling down its efforts on road safety.
"The road toll this year in 2022 has surpassed the road toll for the previous years and that's something that we need to put a stop to," he said.
This year 39 people have died on Tasmanian roads, compared with 25 at this time last year.
Police said traffic was being diverted down Rifle Range Road, Sandford, for southbound traffic and at Gellibrand Drive, Sandford, for northbound traffic.
Earlier this month, the Tasmanian state government launched a road safety action plan, committing over $75 million across 42 initiatives based on crash data and statistics.
2022 is shaping up as the worst year for Tasmanian road deaths in over a decade.
