They walked out of Parramatta's Pirtek Stadium one by one.

Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, the young and the old, and sport stars including the Western Sydney Wanderers' Lachlan Scott and Greater Western Sydney's Matt Buntine.

In all, they numbered 164, lining up in rows four deep on the stadium's green pitch.

Their message was simple: they represented the 164 people who have died on NSW roads so far this year – 38 more than the same time last year – and who were more than just a statistic to their loved ones.

After three decades of success in dramatically reducing the number of deaths on roads – culminating in a 91-year low of 307 in 2014 – the state is experiencing a significant increase in the road toll.

And if it continues, 60 more people will die on NSW's roads this year than in 2015.

In response, the NSW government has announced a number of measures including the installation of up to 200 speed-activated signs, and a trial of in-ground traffic lights at pedestrian crossings in central Sydney given the prevalence of people looking at their mobile phones while they walk.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay said it was rolling out in-ground traffic lights after a rise in pedestrian deaths because "too many people are ... looking at their phone rather than looking ahead".

As part of the "Towards Zero" campaign, a hard-hitting TV advertising campaign will also begin on Sunday.

Police Minister Troy Grant said the causes of the road deaths varied but were often due to speed, fatigue, distraction and individual complacency.

"Before you put your car into gear, you need to put your brain into gear," he said.

"We are hoping that this campaign will finally get people to understand the personal responsibility they have when they get behind a wheel of a car."

The government is also accelerating a $20 million program to build crash barriers, markings on the side of roads that generate noise when driven over, and wide centre lines.

Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said he hoped the campaign served as a wake up call to motorists.

"We have been on a journey to zero over these last 30 years. Now in this last year we have had a tragic increase in the fatalities," he said.