Christmas holiday road toll rises to 21

Another six people have died on Australian roads, bringing the national toll to 21,
just three days into the official Christmas holiday period.
Four lives were lost in NSW, and one each in Victoria and the Northern Territory,
while the other states and the ACT managed to avoid fatalities on Sunday.
In the latest crash, a 34-year old motorcyclist was killed in a collision near
Mildura in Victoria's far northwest.
The man had been riding in Merbein, near Mildura, when his bike collided with a car
about 3.30pm (AEDT).
He was pronounced dead at the scene along Old Wentworth Road.
Earlier, three people were killed in NSW in a span of four hours, while another died
late on Saturday, rocketing the state's Christmas road toll to 10.
A car carrying four men crashed into a power pole at Kincumber, on the state's
central coast, about 3.30am (AEDT) on Sunday.
The 22-year-old front seat passenger died in the crash, while the three other
occupants were admitted to Gosford Hospital for treatment.
At 3.45am a man was walking along John Renshaw Drive at Buchanan, in the Hunter
Valley, when he was struck by a car.
The pedestrian, who has yet to be identified, died at the scene.
Police also responded to an incident where a utility rolled at Tocumwal, on the
NSW-Victoria border, about 7.15am.
Upon arrival they found a 28-year-old local man, who died at the scene.
On Saturday a Commodore sedan carrying three people ran off the road on the state's
far north coast about 10.30pm.
It hit a power pole about 15km south of Tweed Heads, the impact ejecting a
30-year-old passenger, who died at the scene.
The 25-year-old driver was trapped and had to be removed by emergency services
before being taken to Tweed Hospital in a serious condition.
A third man was also taken by ambulance to the hospital suffering minor injuries.
In the NT, a 33-year-old male pedestrian was killed after being struck by a car on
the Stuart Highway, south of Darwin, about 4.30am (AEDT) on Sunday.
Police said the victim, from Darwin, was standing on the carriageway when he was hit
by the Toyota Landcruiser.
Speed and alcohol are not believed to be contributing factors in the crash, police
said.
NSW Traffic Services Commander John Hartley said the death toll is evidence some
people are still taking risks.
"Ten people killed on the roads in little more than 48 hours is horrific for the
emergency services who responded to those incidents and devastating for the loved
ones they leave behind," Asst Comm Hartley said of the NSW toll in a statement.
"Seven of those deaths have occurred in single-vehicle crashes, where the vehicle
has either rolled or struck a stationary object such as a tree, power pole or fence.
"I'm deeply saddened and horrified at this senseless loss of life and my heart goes
out to the 10 families who will be without their loved ones this Christmas."
The ACT is the only state or territory without a fatality for the official holiday
period.