Between Tuesday and Thursday this week, seven people lost their lives in five separate crashes across the state.

At about 8.05am on Wednesday, a 74-year-old man died after his Jaguar sedan left the roadway while travelling south on the Hume Highway at Pheasants Nest.

About two hours later, a 30-year-old man died after his Mitsubishi Lancer collided with a Range Rover Evoque at Norah Head on the Central Coast.

An 89-year-old woman died on Wednesday, in hospital, after her Toyota Yaris reversed from the driveway of a home in Sylvania, south of Sydney, and hit a neighbouring fence on Tuesday.

Just before 11.30pm on Wednesday, three people died after two cars collided on the Monaro Highway at Michelago, 40km south of Queanbeyan.

Police were also at the scene of a fatal crash on the Mitchell Highway at Wellington, near Dubbo, just before 9.30am on Thursday.

Investigations into the crashes are continuing.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, said the loss of seven lives in 48 hours must serve as a reminder for people to take personal responsibility for their actions.

“To lose seven lives in the course of two days on our roads is nothing short of a tragedy,” Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.

“Seven more lives lost means that we have now lost 199 lives on our roads in 198 days this year.

Further, the number of fatalities increased eight per cent (358 to 386) in the 12-month period to July 18 this year, data by the NSW Government’s Centre for Road Safety shows.

“With the school holidays coming to an end and more people on our roads, drivers need to pay attention to ensure they arrive at their destination safety,” Assistant Commissioner Corboy said.

 He said the police’s message was “quite clear”.

“All drivers, passengers, riders, cyclists and pedestrians should be aware of the risks not take their road use for granted,” he said.