Yarck crash: Motorcyclist killed in collision with allegedly stolen ute on Maroondah Highway, Victoria

A motorcyclist has been killed in a horror collision with a car that police allege was stolen just hours prior. 

The vehicles collided on the Maroondah Highway in Yarck, northeast of Melbourne, about 4pm on Wednesday.

The rider of the motorcycle, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene while the driver of the white Ford Ranger allegedly dumped the car and fled on foot.

Victoria Police confirmed a man has been arrested after an ‘extensive’ search of the area.

A 42-year-old man from Seymour, west of Yarck, is currently assisting police with enquiries.

Police allege the ute was ‘stolen from an address in Euroa earlier that day’. 

Charges are yet to be laid as investigations into the crash continue.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact police. 

The motorcyclist’s death is the 101st on Victorian Roads this year and fell during ‘National Road Safety Week’.

The nationwide-initiative urges drivers to take care on Aussie roads to try and lower the number of road deaths.

Last year saw 295 people lose their lives on Victorian roads, the most in 15 years, and just under a quarter of all road deaths in Australia. 

Victoria’s Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing, Glenn Weir, said the state and nation had seen a ‘devastating loss of life on the roads’ across 2023.

‘From the lives lost to their family members, partners, friends, work colleagues and emergency services who attend the scene – thousands of lives are impacted,’ Mr Weir said in a statement on Sunday.

‘We ask all road users to prioritise safety and take extra care, particularly as we head into the winter months with reduced visibility and inclement weather.’ 

He noted a ‘significant increase’ in road-related trauma involving motorcyclists and pedestrians this year, before a ‘particularly high risk period’.