Speed, drink and drug driving, distraction, fatigue and not wearing seatbelts were all common factors in Victoria's increased annual road toll.
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There were 263 deaths on the state's roads in 2019, with the number of fatal crashes up across every road user group.
The prevalence of impaired driving in 2019 was of concern, Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy said on Wednesday.
"Time and time again we've stressed the danger of being drug and alcohol-affected while driving," she said.
"You might think it's OK to jump in the driver's seat after one or two drinks or taking drugs. But that simple choice can mean the difference between life and death."
An increase in people not wearing seatbelts was also a worrying trend.
It's such a simple precaution that takes seconds, and we know it saves lives, so why take the risk?
- Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy
Almost 1200 people have been killed on Australian roads in the past 12 months.
Deaths were recorded in every state and territory during 2019 with the number of lives lost totalling 1182. That's 47 deaths more than in 2018.
2019 ROAD DEATHS
- NSW: 352
- Victoria: 263
- Queensland: 217
- WA: 164
- SA: 113
- NT: 35
- Tasmania: 32
- ACT: 6
- Total: 1182
EARLIER: NSW led the toll, with 352 fatalities during the 2019 calendar year. The count surpassed the state's total of 346 for the previous year.
Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia also recorded a higher number of deaths in 2019 than in 2018.
In one of the nation's most deadly crashes, five men were killed on December 2 when a Toyota Camry rolled off the Northern Territory's Arnhem Highway in the Kakadu National Park.
The car hit trees and police said speed was believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.
Drivers were most often killed in fatal smashes, with motorcyclists and regional road users also featuring in the statistics.
Victoria's 2019 road toll is a bitter pill for the state which a year earlier recorded its lowest number (212) of road deaths since records began.
Those killed on Victoria's roads included 196 males, 48 pedestrians and 44 motorcyclists.
The federal Bureau of Infrastructure Transport and Regional Economics ha wanted to reduce Australia's annual road toll between 2010 and 2020 from more than 1400 to 1000.
