Police will prepare a report for the coroner but early indications suggest the car rolled onto the woman as she walked in front of it in the driveway of the Gormans Hill home.

It appears to be a freak accident, but a devastating one.

And it illustrates the point that there is always a need for care around cars.

The terrible news of the woman’s death came as the Western Advocate published figures confirming 27 people had died on Bathurst region roads in the past six years.

In addition, almost 200 people were seriously injured in crashes on local roads.

Across the Central West the figures were just as shocking, with 161 people killed and a further 1396 seriously injured between 2012 and 2017.

That’s a terrible toll, but the numbers tell just part of the story.

Each of those fatality numbers represents a life lost, including many young lives.

Each fatality is a tale of unfulfilled potential and dreams that never came to fruition.

And each of those people who died on our roads also left behind unimaginable pain for their family and friends.

First they suffered through the terrible shock of that knock at the door, and then the grief of realising their loved one would not be coming home.

Those scars do not go away.

Hundreds of people across the Central West are still living with the repercussions of all those crashes and all those deaths.

Even for those who were injured in crashes, their lives have been changed – sometimes irrevocably – in just a split-second on the road.

Crash victims can carry the physical and mental injuries for decades.

Some might not walk again, some might not work again and many will not return to the former lives.

Crash statistics tell us there are four main factors behind road deaths – speed, fatigue, distraction and alcohol/drugs.

Each of these is the direct responsibility of the driver and each time we get behind the wheel it is our duty to protect ourselves, our passengers and other road users.

The Bathurst road toll has been too high for too long and shows no sign of falling.

We all have a role to play to ensure it finally does.