Three times a day, somewhere in Australia, police knock on a door to deliver devastating news that a loved one has been killed on the road.

In the past 12 months, more than 1336 people have died in crashes – a rise of over 4 per cent and the fourth consecutive yearly increase in a trend not seen since the 1960s.

For officers like Highway Patrol Sergeant Ben Fillingham, delivering a “death knock” is the hardest part of the job.

“You’re changing a family’s life forever with a few words,” he said, describing the emotional weight and lasting trauma.

Police say many of these deaths are preventable and lives don’t need to be lost.

“You have a legal and moral obligation to everyone on the road,” Assistant Commissioner David Driver said.

For families and frontline officers alike, the cost of poor decisions is lifelong.