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ABC News
ABC News
National

Man killed after ute hits tree in third fatal crash in three weeks in Canberra

A 24-year-old man has died after his utility vehicle hit a tree in Canberra's north overnight.

The man was driving a white Nissan Navara ute northbound on Maribyrnong Avenue in Kaleen when the vehicle left the road and hit a tree near Macumba Place about 10pm.

The man died at the scene.

Detective Inspector Mark Steel said the accident happened in a suburban area and nearby residents were the first on the scene.

"The roadway is a 60 kilometre zone there, we had a lot of rain yesterday, the roadway was wet," he said.  

"Early indications are that speed was a contributing factor. 

"It's a very traumatic incident. It's a tragedy for the whole community."

It's the third weekend in a row that there's been a fatal car crash on ACT roads, with the road toll now at 18 for the year.

Last Sunday, three Bangladeshi tourists were killed in a two-vehicle collision on Coppins Crossing Road in Whitlam.

The weekend before, two teenage girls were killed when the car they were travelling in left the Monaro Highway and hit a tree in Hume.

Also this month, a 38-year-old woman was killed in a head-on crash on the Barton Highway between Yass and Murrumbateman and a 17-year-old driver died in a two-vehicle accident on the Kings Highway near Bungendore.

'Message isn't getting through' 

Detective Inspector Steel said 18 was the highest ACT road toll since 2010.

"Most collisions on our roads are avoidable collisions," he said.

"We don't seem to be getting the message through at the moment and statistics alone aren't having an impact."

Police are urging drivers to take extra care on Canberra's roads with the ongoing wet weather. 

"We're a community here, we can't do this alone. Everyone needs to take their part in this and slow down," Detective Inspector Steel said. 

"There's been a lot of rain, there's obviously been a lot of damage to our roads.

"People need to slow down, I can't put it any simpler than that."

ACT police are still investigating the cause of the crash and will prepare a report for the coroner.

They are calling on anyone who may have seen the crash or have dash-cam footage from the area at the time to contact Crime Stoppers.

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