For most of us, the recent summer holiday season was a time of fun and relaxation with family and friends. But for the families of the 28 victims of the holiday road toll – twice the number killed during the same period the previous year – it was a time of inestimable tragedy and loss.

The grievous holiday toll was no aberration. Last year, 392 people died on NSW roads, 12 more than in 2016. A gradually decreasing Australia-wide road toll is one national trend we do not wish to buck. In short, it cannot go on, and Tuesday's road safety changes announced by Premier Gladys Berejiklian should help ensure it doesn't.

The coffins of Annabelle Falkholt and her parents Lars and Vivian Falkholt are carried out of St Mary's Catholic Church following their funeral at Concord, Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Under the changes, more drivers convicted of drink-driving offences will be required to have devices fitted to their cars that block ignition unless a zero recording is registered. For low-range drink-driving offences, there will be on-the-spot fines and licence suspensions.

Speed cameras will be used for the first time to nab motorists who text while they drive – a modern scourge on our roads. And there will be 11 extra "point-to-point" speed camera locations for trucks, in addition to the 25 current ones. This is particularly welcome in metropolitan Sydney, where the acceleration of infrastructure development has vastly increased the interaction between cars and trucks, sometimes with disastrous results.