Transport for NSW figures compiled by the Centre for Road Safety show that a majority of fatal crashes in 2019 in the Orange area - incorporating the Orange, Cabonne and Blayney Local Government Areas - occurred on the region's main arterial road.

There were three fatal crashes east and west of Orange along the Mitchell Highway throughout 2019.

The deadly crash east of the city occurred near Vittoria, while there were two others west of Orange along the highway towards Wellington.

In total, there was 12 accidents between Bathurst and Dubbo that either proved fatal or left a person with serious injury, in 2019.

In 2018, that figure is again 12, with three fatalities recorded along the 200 kilometres stretch of road.

In 2017, the numbers are far worse; there was a total of 27 accidents along the Mitchell Highway that resulted in serious injury or worse, with four fatalities in that 12 month period.

The Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF), which has launched Rural Road Safety Month this September, released its annual report at the same time.

The annual review showed that two of every three fatal accidents in NSW occur in regional and rural areas, with just one in metropolitan areas, despite vastly higher population in the state's cities.

About 93 per cent of residents of NSW use high-risk rural roads at least once a year, the research shows, with 47 per cent using the riskiest roads at least once a week.

ARSF Founder and CEO Russell White said the research helped to explain the high disparity between the number of road deaths occurring on regional NSW roads compared to urban areas.

"We now have strong evidence that when it comes to preventing road trauma in regional areas, drivers from across greater Sydney and built up areas carry an equal responsibility to local residents," he said.

About 40 per cent of drivers report behaving more riskily on remote roads out of a belief they won't be caught by the police, he said.

So far this year, 184 people have died on NSW roads - 127 of those on country roads.

As part of Rural Road Safety month, the NSW government has released a video showing the tragic impacts of a horror crash that killed two young people north of Dubbo in 2018.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said he hoped the video would show that decisions people make behind the wheel can have fatal consequences, for themselves and those close to them.

"Before you get behind the wheel, stop and think about what you can do to make sure you arrive at your destination safely," he said.

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