Regardless of the condition of the road, a public safety campaign to warn motorists that they are taking their lives and those of others into their hands when they embark on this trip cannot possibly hurt.

We understand five people were airlifted to The Canberra Hospital yesterday after a car was driven off an embankment.

Two people were reported to be seriously injured.

The crash sparked a massive and quick response from all emergency service crews involved.

Unfortunately, they have had to respond too often over this holiday season to tragedies in our shire.

Their jobs are tough ones, whether they are paid professionals or volunteers.

Many must be wishing for a Hollywood blockbuster to ram the point home to drivers entering the Kings Highway from either end that they must take extra care.

Even if you drive safely, you may be caught up in the results of someone else’s terrible error or misjudgement.

However, if every driver and passenger embarked on the trip truly understanding the risks they were taking, surely everyone would slow down and really think about each twist and turn of the road.

Police have been highly visible over many holiday seasons now and that presence must help.

However, something else is needed to get every driver to own their own responsibility and never to fatally overestimate their own abilities or the condition of the road.

Despite upgrades and safety measures, it remains a challenging route to take.

Surely, as a community, we should not just have to accept that a tragedy is more likely than not to occur on this highway at peak seasons.

It is time to put our heads together to come up with a creative solution that wins hearts and minds and saves lives.

People such as the “Kamikaze” driver who so terrified people on Christmas Day on the Kings Highway may never change their behaviour without a serious kick.

However, most others, when warned in a way that skillfully gets through, will think twice.