Most WA fatal crashes avoidable: minister

Most of the 161 deaths on West Australian roads last year were avoidable, Road Safety minister Liza Harvey says.

The Preliminary Crash Book, compiled by the Road Safety Commission, shows 74 people died in the metropolitan area and 87 on regional roads.

Motor vehicle occupants made up 119 victims, while the remainder were 22 motorcyclists, 15 pedestrians, four cyclists and one on a motorised mobility scooter.

Speed was involved in 62 fatal crashes, alcohol was a factor in 39 cases and fatigue was an issue in 16 accidents.

Ms Harvey said despite the equal lowest number of fatalities last year, too many families were still suffering due to road trauma.

"The road safety message is sinking in, but we still have the same preventable factors appearing in our serious and fatal crashes," she said.

"That is why we, as a community, must always have road safety front and centre of our minds every time we get behind the wheel."