Since then, within the first four days of December, eight more people have died – including two teenage boys in crashes on Illawarra and South Coast roads.

In contrast, in 2014 the road toll dipped to its lowest since 1923 when there were 4.8 million fewer cars on the road, after years of a steady decline in fatalities.

Then last year, it climbed back up 14 per cent to 350 – and now it has surpassed that figure well before the notorious Christmas holiday period.

It’s still well below that of 2000 – the year graduated P-plate licensing was introduced – when 603 people lost their lives on the roads. It’s also tiny compared to the massive state road toll (1309) in 1970 before seatbelts were made compulsory, or in 1980, before RBTs were introduced. 

But, with cars and roads made safer and the multi-pronged government effort to target speeding, drink-driving and fatigue in place, any increase is cause for concern.

Here in the Illawarra, there have been a number of memorable-for-the-wrong-reason crashes that we’ve reported on in the past couple of months. On social media, some of our readers are quick to lay the blame. There have been so many cries to stop cowboy truckies, get cyclists off the road or – heartlessly – statements that people who break the rules and speed deserve what’s coming to them.

The truth is that road accidents happen for all sorts of reasons – some of them truly are accidents and many others are caused by some combination of stupid risk taking, distraction or unsafe conditions.

And we can blame others all we like, but if we really want to do something about the fact that the long held trend of the road toll decreasing has been reversed in the past two years, we all need to take some personal responsibility in stopping future crashes.

So as Christmas approaches – whether you’re driving a truck, a car, riding a bike or even walking, if you’ve had your licence for 50 years or 50 days, if you’re on the school run or out for a weekend drive with your mates – please go safely on the roads.

That means follow the road rules, don’t get distracted by your mobile phone, take care of others and don’t get angry, and, most of all, remember that what you’re doing has the power to kill you or other people.