Animals on the Road: What Should Drivers in Australia Know?

Animals are part of everyday life on Australian roads, and they also pose a serious risk to drivers and wildlife alike. Understanding how and why animal collisions happen can help you avoid dangerous situations.

Why are animal collisions a serious problem in Australia?

Animal collisions can result in:

• Injury or death to wildlife

• Significant vehicle damage

• Loss of control at high speeds

• Risk to passengers and other drivers

Large animals like kangaroos can weigh up to 90 kg, making high-speed collisions extremely dangerous.

Where do most animal collisions occur?

Most animal-related crashes happen:

• On rural and regional roads

• In areas with wildlife warning signs

• Where bushland meets roadways

Over 40% of collisions occur when drivers ignore warning signs.

When are animals most active on the road?

Animals are more likely to be on the road:

• At dawn and dusk

• During winter months (May to October)

• At night when visibility is reduced

How can you avoid hitting animals while driving?

To reduce your risk:

• Slow down in signed wildlife areas

• Watch the sides of the road for movement

• Stay alert and avoid distractions

• Be cautious at night

• Expect multiple animals, not just one

What should you do if an animal runs in front of your car?

If an animal suddenly appears:

• Brake firmly but safely

• Do not swerve suddenly

• Maintain control of your vehicle

Swerving can often lead to more serious accidents than the collision itself.

What should you do after hitting an animal?

Follow these steps:

• Pull over safely and turn on hazard lights

• Check yourself and passengers for injuries

• Assess the animal

• Call wildlife rescue if needed

  
  

In Queensland, call 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625).

Should you check for a joey after hitting a kangaroo?

Yes. Many marsupials carry young in pouches. Even if the adult animal has died, a joey may still be alive. Wildlife organisations recommend checking the pouch or contacting rescuers for assistance.

Is it safe to keep driving after hitting an animal?

Not always. Your vehicle may have hidden damage that affects steering, braking, or safety. Always stop and assess the situation before continuing.

Can you claim animal collisions on insurance?

In many cases, yes. Animal collisions are often covered under comprehensive car insurance policies. Contact your insurer as soon as possible after the incident.

Staying alert and slowing down in high-risk areas can prevent accidents. Safe driving doesn’t just protect wildlife, it protects you, your passengers, and everyone else on the road.

Indicate Intent – Road Refresher Series

In your car, there is a beautiful little contraption. Usually found on the right or left side of your steering wheel, it humbly rests within flicking distance of your finger. It’s a wonderful thing, promising safety and understanding from other drivers and pedestrians on the road. No, not the headlights, nor the windscreen wiper.

The indicator.

Indicators are an overlooked but essential part of driving. They’re one of the most important pieces of hardware that your driving test instructor will ask you to point out. The indicator allows you to signal your intent to other drivers and people on the road. It lets them know that you’re about to slow down, where you’re turning, or if you plan to change lanes. Everyone can react and behave accordingly. It’s idyllic.

Changing lanes without indicating is a disastrous behaviour that is, sadly, common on the road. It has dire consequences, with accidents, heavy fines, and complicated insurance claims. It may count as a non-criminal traffic violation, but it can result in demerit points, licence suspension, and severe injury. This is a road rule in place not just for practicality, but also for safety. If you get into a traffic accident because you or another car refused to indicate, the best-case scenario is a whole lot of wasted time and a trip to the car doctor. Worst case is someone gets hurt or killed.

There are several important and common places where indicating is vital. They are:

1.      When changing lanes in traffic

You must give way to the lane you are merging into. Indicate long enough that the cars in your destination lane have time to react accordingly, and move over calmly. If you have to change multiple lanes you still have to keep your indicator on and give way to the other lane.

2.      When merging

If your lane is coming to an end, you have to merge into the next. Road signs are posted up to warn drivers of an ending lane, giving you plenty of time to prepare. Flip your indicator, give way, and move into your new lane.

3.      On a roundabout

Roundabouts are where indicators are most often ignored, especially in ones with a single lane. The rules for indicating on roundabouts are, when approaching the roundabout, use your indicator immediately if you are taking the first or third exit. It’s not necessary to turn your indicator on early if you’re taking the second exit straight through. However, you should use it when exiting the roundabout! This goes for all exits, no matter which one.

4.      Driveways, turning corners, and parking

Indicating when you’re approaching a driveway, turn, or carpark is key, as it tells the people behind you that you’re about to slow down. No one wants to arrive at their destination only to be rear-ended because they didn’t give the people behind them enough warning. Indicating in these situations removes a lot of mystery about your movements – it even allows you to call dibs on a parking spot! The less mysterious you are on the road, the safer everyone is.

Don’t forget, the average car weight in Australia is 2 tonnes. You are behind the wheel of something that can easily become a destructive weapon, to people and infrastructure alike. Indicating where you are going is not just a courtesy, it’s a basic necessity.

Caravan Weighing Toowoomba

Weigh The Risks

You are about to go on an adventure up and down the coast, into the bush, or the red heart, it doesn’t matter where. It will be you behind the wheel, and the caravan behind you. But something’s wrong. Do you know how much your caravan weighs?

Caravan weights (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-12/queensland-caravan-owners-weight-regulations-towing-skills/102932800) can dictate how smooth your trip is going to be, and many people are unaware of the consequences, or even the fact that you should be weighing at all.

First and most notable is that towing over the legal weight is against the law. Fines apply to people found towing over capacity, and if an accident occurs then caravan-towers found over the limit aren’t covered by their insurance.

There’s also general road safety. If your tow vehicle is hauling along something that exceeds the capacity of either it or its tow ball, you can seriously damage the running gear. The motor can give out, your tow bar can break, your transmission can die, and you can completely lose control of your vehicle. Needless to say, these incidents cause messy situations. And there are many other ways things can go wrong for caravan-towers on the road.

The process of weighing a caravan should be easy, but many holiday-goers don’t factor in the weight of their belongings when checking if their car and tow ball can tow an empty caravan. Caravan weights fluctuate depending on the berth, length, width, and height, but they should all have their total weight when carrying no additional belongings on the VIN plate or elsewhere in the caravan body. This weight is called the TARE weight, the solo weight of the caravan - www.xtendoutdoors.com.au/blogs/general/understanding-the-size-and-weight-of-your-caravan.

However, the weighing doesn’t end there. The weight of the caravan once loaded is called the Gross Trailer Mass or Aggregate Trailer Mass (GTM/ATM), and doesn’t include the weight of the car. This GTM and the overall weight of your car (the Gross Vehicle Mass) will help determine the ultimate weight of your caravan and car, passengers and belongings included. This is then the combined weight of the full caravan AND full towing vehicle. This is called the Gross Combination Mass (GCM), and this weight is what you do NOT want to go over.

If you’re keen to do the math yourself, Paramount has a Caravan Weight Breakdown article that will give you all the formulas - www.paramountcaravans.com.au/caravan-weight-breakdown/.

However, there are places where eager caravaners can get their set-up weighed. Purple Truck itself is registered with Queensland Transport and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulators (NHVR) to weigh your caravans, so we can do it for you!