A LOCAL smash repairer says he is not surprised to hear that kangaroos account for more than 80 per cent of all animal-related collisions on NSW roads.
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The claim comes from NRMA Insurance, which says its latest data shows that dogs, wombats, cattle and cats are the other animals most likely to be involved in a collision in NSW.
Ray Morcom’s Auto Body Repairs director Andrew Morcom is familiar with the damage roos can cause.
“It can be erratic. You get a lot of them [kangaroo collisions] over a period of two or three months and then it dies down and you get hardly any,” he said.
“It all depends on what feed is around.
“They [the kangaroos] might be in the Mudgee or Lithgow area and when they run out of feed they’re on the move and that’s when you tend to get problems with cars hitting them.”
Mr Morcom said he thought the problem tended to be worse in summer.
“Because there is a lack of feed, the kangaroos are on the move a lot more.”
Hitting a roo can cause substantial damage, he said.
“It can cost anything from $1000 right up to $35,000 to repair the damage, especially if you’re looking at prestige vehicles,” he said.
Mr Morcom said he also repaired cars damaged by other animals.
“Wombats can cause a little bit of damage and we’ve had the odd cow, but the majority of the damage is caused by kangaroos.”
NRMA Insurance head of research Robert McDonald said kangaroo collisions generally peak in the winter months.
“We encourage drivers to slow down when driving, particularly at sunrise and sunset, as this is when kangaroos are often most active and looking for food,” Mr McDonald said.
