Five road deaths within hours in NSW

Five people have been killed in four separate crashes within 12 hours on country roads in NSW.

A male motorcyclist died near Newcastle just before 5pm on Sunday when he lost control off the M1 at Seahampton.

His crash followed another incident involving a head-on collision between two cars near Euston, in western NSW, about 6.45am on Sunday.

Two people were killed in that smash, police said.

A duck on a country road in Tamworth caused a crash that killed a 19-year-old woman passenger around the same time.

The car hit the duck and then crashed into a tree, police say.

A 52-year-old man died when he swerved to avoid hitting a dead kangaroo near Tumut in southern NSW about 2.30am.

After swerving, the man's car left the road and caught fire, police say.

"These tragedies should serve as a reminder of the need for road users to anticipate unexpected hazards such as animals and slowing down if you are not used to driving on dirt or gravel roads," Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said in a statement on Sunday.