A Sturt Highway Taskforce has been formed in response to the rising road toll on the Sturt Highway.

“Two-thirds of fatalities are in regional areas and it's necessary to keep roads open for economic development and trade,” Hay Mayor Carol Oataway said.

The horrific crash just outside Hay last week was directly linked to poor driver behaviour according to Police.

The Sturt Highway collision left two dead and the road closed for more than 24 hours.

Crash Investigation Unit Commander Inspector Jason Hogan said the tragic Sturt Highway collision on Monday, January 15 at about 5.10 pm was the result of the sedan driver attempting a U-turn in front of a fully loaded semi-trailer.

A man and woman have died following a two-vehicle crash near Hay late Monday afternoon.

The accident occurred about three kilometres east of Hay on the notorious Sturt Highway, which has claimed the lives of at least 10 people between Balranald and Darlington Point in the last five years.

Emergency services were called to the scene at about 5.10pm on Monday, following reports a sedan and a truck had collided.

The Sturt Highway has become a death trap. It is a stretch of road that deteriorated in the worst way with 2022 flooding, and a common sight all over the area are road crews repairing roads.

Lives were lost in two horrific truck collisions in the last month, one at the Carrathool turn-off and one at Waddi.

Tragically, a nine-year-old also died on Sturt Highway in Balranald last week when he was hit by a vehicle in the main street.