Extra police officers are being sent to Queensland's Wide Bay region to "stem the loss of life" as authorities grapple with a worsening road toll.
Three horror crashes in the region in the past few days have left two people dead, two people fighting for life, and four others injured.
The Wide Bay district has the highest road toll in Queensland so far this year with 20 fatalities.
The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating several serious crashes, including a truck rollover on the Bruce Highway this morning that killed a woman in her 30s and has left the truck driver, a man in his 50s, in a serious condition.
It came after a collision between a car and an armoured vehicle that left five people in hospital on Tuesday morning.
A man and a woman were cut from the wreckage and flown to hospital with critical injuries.
Another man is in a serious condition and two others have minor injuries.
On the same morning in a separate incident, a Hervey Bay man died after his car crashed into a creek at Tuan Forest, south of Maryborough.
Police have ramped up patrols in the Wide Bay and officers from other regions have been sent to help out.
Earlier this month, the Maryborough community was rocked by the death of three women in a multi-car crash allegedly caused by a stolen car driven by a 13-year-old.
Wide Bay Burnett police district officer Anne Vogler said some residents were becoming worried about travelling.
"People are voicing their concerns about being on the roads," Superintendent Vogler said.
"Police can't do this alone.
"We are conducting numerous high-visibility patrols to try and stem the loss of life."
Queensland's road toll stands at 98.
The state recorded its highest road toll in more than a decade last year with 299 lives lost.
The North Coast region — which includes the Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast, and Moreton districts — has had 31 fatalities this year.
There have been 24 fatalities in the Southern region and eight in Brisbane.
Road safety front of mind
Road safety advocate Peter Fraser lost his daughter Sarah after her car broke down on a major highway a decade ago.
Mr Fraser said another driver "left her in pieces" on the road, prompting his family to establish a National Road Safety Week in May each year.
"We've got to look after each other," he said.
"We've got to make sure that everyone gets home safe to their loved ones."
Mr Fraser said fatal crashes in regions such as Wide Bay were "really tough" because of the tight-knit nature of the community.
"People know others who have been seriously injured or killed," he said.
"Road safety becomes very real."
Superintendent Vogler said a car could be a "weapon in the wrong hands".
"I'm asking people to slow down, stay safe and drive to the conditions," she said.
"We want to reach our destination safely."
