In the days after yet another death at the weekend, the area’s residents and road users have called for measures such as overtaking lanes and improved road shoulders.

But many say it comes down to poor driver behaviour, and they want to see better attitudes and a greater highway patrol presence.

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It is still unknown what caused the collision between a Toyota Hilux and a Nissan X-Trail on the road a few kilometres north of Duri on Saturday afternoon, which killed a 54-year-old passenger.

Werris Creek Road has also claimed the life of a 19-year-old female driver, a 43-year-old male motorcyclist and a 32-year-old male driver, to name a few, in recent years.

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) data shows three fatal crashes and several accidents causing serious injuries on the road between Tamworth and the edge of the regional council area from 2012 to 2016.

One Duri resident of 25 years, Catherine Wilcox, said she’d lost one friend and heard three fatal incidents take place near her house.

“It’s a shocking, disturbing thing,” she said.

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson, who is Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Roads, Maritime and Transport, said it was a “tragic, tragic event” and he’d be seeking the latest RMS figures for the road.

“One death is one too many,” he said.

“As part of my role in making sure that our roads are safe, one area that I would like to look at is some overtaking lanes between Werris Creek and Tamworth [where] there are no overtaking lanes … if there’s a problem there, I would absolutely welcome an opportunity to look at how to improve the safety of that road.”

However, most people who commented on The Leader’s publication of the story thought much of the problem was in drivers’ hands.

Duri’s Warren Hutson said he had come across the wreckage between the egg farm and the underpass.

The school bus driver said that, in general, although it was a “mere 16 kilometres” to Tamworth, it was “crazy out there”.

“They ride your bumper all the way in and all the way home. It doesn’t matter if you’re running at 100, 105 or 110,” he said.

“Blind corners, double white lines make no difference at all – they are on a mission.

“I love the days when the highway patrol are about and bring some sanity to the circus.”

Mrs Wilcox said she felt it was poor driver attitude along with “the huge increase in traffic flow over the last few years” and that perhaps signs should be installed showing the latest fatality count.

“That might wake people up,” she said.

“I doubt there is a stretch of road where more fatalities occur so consistently, anywhere.”