Holiday road toll hits 20 at close of 2014

The national festive season road toll stood at 20 as 2014 ended after two people died in a single vehicle crash in NSW.

No deaths were recorded by early evening in any other state on the last day of the year. NSW police say the pair were travelling along the Pacific Highway at Moorland near Taree when their car veered off the road and hit a ditch about 2pm.

No more details are known at this stage, police say.

Two children are among those who have died over the holiday period.

South Australia has recorded seven fatalities, the highest of any state, since December 23.

Among those was a 13-year-old boy who died in a crash on the Yorke Peninsula on Tuesday.

At six deaths, NSW had the second highest road toll, while Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia all recorded two deaths.

Among those was a four-week-old baby boy who died in a crash in Western Australia on Saturday.

NATIONAL CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR ROAD TOLL AS OF 5.30PM AEDT, DECEMBER 31

Fatalities:

* NSW - 6

* VICTORIA - 2

* QUEENSLAND - 2

* ACT - 0

* WA - 2

* SA - 7

* NT - 0

* TASMANIA - 1

TOTAL: 20

(EDS: The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2014 until 2359 January 3, 2015, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.)