Insurance provider RAA is urging motorists to watch out for animals when driving in rural areas to prevent road crashes.
The warning comes as figures show that hitting animals on South Australian roads resulted in 188 casualty crashes between 2011 and 2015 – 12% of these crashes, including one fatality, occurred in the month of June.
Charles Mountain, RAA senior manager road safety, said casualty crashes involving animals led to 35 serious injuries and four deaths over the five year period.
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“Almost two-thirds (62%) of casualty crashes involving animals occur in rural areas on roads with a speed limit of 100km/h or more, so it’s crucial that country drivers remain vigilant,” said Mountain.
“A crash is also more likely to involve injury if you hit a large animal, such as a kangaroo, compared to a small domestic animal you would find in metropolitan areas.”
Eleven per cent (11%) of these types of crashes occurred between 6am and 7am, while 47% of casualty crashes involving animals occurred at night.
Hayley Cain, RAA insurance senior manager claims, said the company has seen a 40% rise in animal collisions since 2014 to more than 1,300 claims a year.
“Kangaroos account for the majority of animal collision claims at around 60%, but much higher in rural areas,” said Cain. “Dogs come in second at around 15%, followed by wombats, emus, and cattle.
“The cost of an animal collision could be anything from $3,000 to the car being written off, depending on what the driver hits and how hard they hit it.”
