THREE deaths in Victoria yesterday took the national road toll for the holiday season to 20, with treacherous weather — including black ice — believed to have been a factor in the fatalities.

A woman in her 50s died at Nar Nar Good in outer Melbourne at about 6am after her vehicle hit black ice, causing her to lose control and plough into a road barrier.

A 21-year-old driver was killed at Berwick in Victoria when he lost control of his car on the Princes Highway and hit a pylon. He died at the scene, while two of his passengers suffered serious injuries and were transported to hospital.

A 27-year-old man was also killed at Cannons Creek when he lost control of his car and hit a tree in the early hours.

Victorian authorities had hoped there would not be a repeat of Christmas Day last year when five people died on the state’s roads.

NSW has recorded seven fatalities, the highest number of any state, after a 17-year-old female passenger died in an accident near Newcastle. The teenager, from Kilaben Bay, was in the front passenger seat when the car hit a tree at Brightwaters. She died in hospital at about 10am.

The driver of the car remains in hospital in a serious condition.

The second-largest number of fatalities was in Queensland where five people have died, followed by Victoria with four.

There were two dead in Tasmania and South Australia, while Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT remained fatality free.

National road toll figures for the festive season are calculated for the period from December 22 to January 5.

Last year, 67 people died during the period, which was 18 higher than the previous year.

The toll is so far running equal to last year when 20 people had also died by Christmas night.

In NSW, police revealed half of the deaths in the Christmas period involved young drivers. This will add to the pressure for tougher licensing requirements following a series of multiple road fatalities involving young people.

A 24-year-old P-plate driver died on Christmas Eve when his car hit a power pole in Sydney’s southwest. Another 17-year-old P- plater was also killed on Christmas Eve when his car left a road in Sydney’s northwest and smashed into a power pole.

A 21-year-old unlicensed driver has been charged over the death of a four-month-old baby girl in a crash in Sydney’s west on December 23. The man was driving a four-wheel-drive when it crashed into the back of a van, killing the girl secured in a baby capsule on the van’s rear seat.

In Queensland, two people died in motorbike accidents.

A 39-year-old Cairns man was killed when his motorcycle and a rented sedan collided on the Kennedy Highway in Mareeba shortly after midday.

A short time later, a 24-year-old man died when his bike and a car collided west of Brisbane. Police said the Bundamba man was riding along Collingwood Drive in the Ipswich suburb of Collingwood Park at about 12.45pm when the vehicles crashed. The motorcyclist died at the scene.

Another Queensland death involved an off-duty policewoman who ran over and killed a 23-year-old man walking along the middle of an unlit section of road at Lowood, west of Brisbane on Friday.

Acting Superintendent Rob McCall from the State Traffic Support Branch said there had been 330 fatalities in Queensland for the year, the highest since 1996.

While there had been a population increase, police were unsure what had caused the increase.

“Concerns continue to be drink driving, speeding, fatigue and failure to wear seat belts,” he said. “There have been some shocking accidents involving young people and they need to realise if they are out partying and the driver is intoxicated they should speak up rather than become a victim.”

—– FATALITIES —–

The Christmas-New Year road toll as of last night

NSW … 7

Qld …… 5

Vic …… 4

SA …… 2

Tas …… 2

WA ….. 0

ACT ….. 0

NT ……. 0