Drivers should slow down and watch for wildlife

THE RACV has warned motorists to be alert for wildlife when driving, particularly at dawn and dusk, this holiday season.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales suggest that animal collisions play a greater role in accidents than is presently understood.

According to the study, vehicle accidents related to the presence of an animal on a road are “significantly under-reported”.

“Often, drivers swerve to miss animals only to hit roadside obstacles, such as trees and poles or oncoming vehicles.”

The Transport Accident Commission reports that while the state’s overall road death toll is down 14.2 per cent from last year, the number of deaths on rural Victorian roads has not followed the downward trend, and instead remains steady.

Victorians are four times more likely to be killed on country roads as the speeds are higher than on metropolitan roads.

Almost a quarter of serious injuries on the state’s roads occur on rural roads, mainly due to drivers running off the road or hitting other vehicles head on.

RACV general manager of motor insurance Mark Geraghty said that if drivers saw wildlife on the road and a collision was unavoidable, they should not try to steer to the left or the right.

“When driving on all roads, we encourage drivers to be alert and reduce speed, drive in accordance with conditions and scan the roadside for wildlife. A 10 per cent reduction in speed leads to a 20 per cent reduction in collisions.”

In 2016, Wildlife Victoria received more than 6,000 reports of seriously injured animals due to vehicle collisions. Female eastern grey kangaroos were most commonly hit, with 70 per cent found with young still in their pouch. Wildlife Victoria encourages drivers to contact their rescue team after all animal collisions, even if it seems minor – phone 8400 7300.