Advertising campaigns, media coverage and increased police operations have repeatedly urged motorists to slow down, concentrate and drive to the conditions.

But the message just isn't sinking in.

This year, there have been four fatalities and 37 serious injuries on Latrobe Valley roads.

It is just sheer luck the toll wasn't higher after a crash between a bus and semi trailer at Traralgon two weeks ago which injured 17 people, two critically.

Last Wednesday, a Morwell man died in a single vehicle crash when his car hit a pole at the intersection of Princes Drive and Monash Way in Morwell while in a separate incident, a garbage truck driver was airlifted to Melbourne with serious injuries when his truck ploughed into traffic and tipped over on the Princes Freeway at Moe.

Ldng Snr Const Milbourne said he hadn't seen a run of incidents ``in a long time''.

``It's just scary what's happening on the roads, I don't know why people are doing it, but it's just happening,'' he said.

Ldng Snr Const Milbourne believes people are not heeding road safety messages because of their busy lifestyles.

``Everything is fast, everything has to be done there and then and everyone is rushing around, we're all trying to cram so much into our lives and we're not slowing down and taking the time to do it,'' he said.

While it is all part of the job, Ldng Snr Const Milbourne said crashes often had an emotional impact on emergency services personnel, especially if it was someone they knew.

``You've really got to put your personal life to one side, put it in a box and leave it in the car and go out and do your professional job.''

He said it was not uncommon for some emergency services staff, volunteers and witnesses to suffer from flashbacks or play the incident over in their mind.

``A lot of people go away and think they can deal with it themselves, but they really need to go out and actively seek out counselling,'' Ldng Snr Const Milbourne said.