Animal collisions up by 25% on Queensland roads

The claims peaked from May to October, indicating that the cooler months were the worst time of year for animal collisions, with May and July experiencing the highest volume of claims.

Across Queensland, regional areas saw the highest frequency of claims with Darling Downs Maranoa, Outback Queensland and Central Queensland the most dangerous locations for collisions with animals.

RACQ Group Executive Insurance Trent Sayers said it was concerning that animal collisions had increased across all Queensland regions.

“RACQ Insurance received 4,255 motor claims from animal collisions over the past year and while regional areas saw the highest volumes, all regions experienced some sort of increase,” Mr Sayers said.

“Interestingly, some city regions saw the largest increase in animal collision claims, with Brisbane’s north and Ipswich both rising by 40%.

“It can be confirmed from the data that most collisions happen at dawn or dusk, with 38% of animal collisions occurring between 5am-6am and 6pm-7pm.

“Unfortunately, it seems that kangaroos are the most common animal collided with on the road.”

Mr Sayers said motorists should be cautious when travelling on roads with surrounding wildlife.

“Hitting an animal while driving can be emotionally distressing to the driver, cause damage to the vehicle and sadly, may result in loss of life of a native animal,” he said.

“There are some key factors to keep in mind to reduce your risk of colliding with an animal and to keep you and your passengers safe.

“Ideally, you should avoid driving at dawn and dusk when wild animals are most active and sun glare or darkness can reduce visibility.

“If driving at these times is unavoidable, use high beams where appropriate, drive to the conditions, don’t speed and stay alert for any wildlife in your peripheral vision that might move onto the road.

“You shouldn’t swerve to avoid hitting an animal as it can put you at greater risk of causing a collision with another vehicle or roadside obstacle.”

Mr Sayers also shared practical advice on what to do if you have experienced a collision.

“If you have hit an animal and it’s safe to do so, pull over to inspect your vehicle and check on the animal,” he said.

“Call for help if your car is damaged. If the animal is alive and injured you can call your local wildlife rescue service.

“Once you safely conclude your journey, contact your insurer to report the incident and lodge a claim.”

RACQ Animal Collision Claims

Note: The ranking is calculated by looking at the number of RACQ motor claims divided by the number of RACQ motor insurance policies in each region.

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