The official holiday road toll counting period will begin at 4pm on Friday and run till the morning of 5 January.
A year ago, 13 people died during the same period and 67 were seriously injured.
The record low for the period, which was recorded 50 years ago, is eight deaths.
The National Road Policing Manager, Paula Rose, says it's inevitable lives will be lost in the coming days.
But she says motorists' behaviour will ultimately determine how many fatal crashes there are.
Police say roads in general are busy, especially heading out of major cities.
