Cyclist killed in collision at Illowa

The 57-year-old male cyclist from Yangery died after he was struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Southern Cross Road and Tower Hill Road.

Police said the driver, a 53-year-old Tarone man, stopped immediately after the crash.

He was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

A police spokesman said the investigation into the fatal crash was ongoing.

No charges have been laid.

Earlier: A male cyclist has been killed in an accident involving a car at Illowa on Friday morning.

Police said the accident happened near the intersection of Southern Cross Road and Tower Hill Road about 7.15am.

The cyclist died at the scene.

Police said the driver of the car stopped immediately after and has been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Traffic diversions are in place while police examine the scene.

The death takes the region's road toll to five in just six weeks this year.

A Warrnambool man died in hospital this week after a single-car crash west of Mortlake last week.

The 63-year-old man was airlifted to a Melbourne hospital with life-threatening injuries after crashing into a tree off the Hamilton Highway on January 31 about 11am.

On January 30 a Warrnambool man in his 30s was driving a Kenworth truck carting cattle which was involved in a fatal collision between Coleraine and Casterton, in which a 47-year-old Hamilton man died.

Four days earlier a 24-year-old man from Moutajup died after a single-vehicle accident about 5.30am on Mill Road, east of Hamilton.

And on the afternoon of January 22 a 65-year-old Panmure man died in a single-vehicle rollover on the Timboon-Port Campbell Road.

On Friday, Victoria Police issued an urgent warning to regional motorists following a significant spike in lives lost on rural roads this year.

The latest police intelligence shows there were 24 lives lost from collisions on rural roads as of 30 January, a 64 per cent increase on the five-year average for fatal regional collisions in January.

Of those 24 lives lost on rural roads, 21 resided in regional locations and two worked in regional centres.

Eighteen of the 21 fatal collisions occurred within 100 kilometres of the deceased's residence.

More than 85 per cent of rural fatalities occurred on high-speed rural roads, with speed limits between 80km/h - 110km/h.

Police suspect driver error, resulting from distraction and inattention, has contributed significantly to rural road fatalities in January.

They're urging regional road users to take more care as the state enters another particularly high-risk period.

There were eight lives lost in five days between 12 and 16 February last year - with six of those eight fatalities occurring on rural roads.

Police are determined to avoid a repeat of this concerning rural road trauma trend, with highway patrol deployments to be bolstered to regional areas throughout February, ahead of a statewide operation over the Labour Day long weekend in March.

It comes as Victoria has recorded 45 lives lost, up from 31 at the same time last year and well-above the five-year average of 27.

Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Glenn Weir said there was a common misconception it wasn't locals losing their lives on country roads.

"That couldn't be further from the truth," he said.

"The reality is, people residing in regional areas make up the majority of those killed on rural roads.

"Distraction and basic road user error is significantly contributing to regional lives lost. It just shows a simple lapse in concentration can have catastrophic consequences.

"It is imperative all road users remain alert, particularly when travelling on high-speed rural roads.

"It's been a terrible start to the year on our roads, and we're entering another particularly high-risk period. Please don't be complacent and think that road trauma can't happen to you, because a split-second of inattention is all it takes.

"Police will be doing everything they can to reduce road trauma during this high-risk period, but we need everyone to do their bit."

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