How to avoid a kangaroo on the road

Kangaroos can be the bane of a professional truck driver’s existence – especially with increasing kangaroo-related vehicle accidents.

To add to this, the kangaroo population is rising and currently sits at approximately 50 million, compared to 34 million in 2011.

With rising kangaroo numbers and increasing urbanization, it’s imperative to remain vigilant on the road. If you saw a roo on the road, would you know what to do and the safest way to avoid a collision? 

Read our tips that could save a kangaroo’s life and your vehicle the next time you’re on the road.

Why? 

Kangaroos travel in groups, so when they’re on the road, there’s often a lot of them. Add a few bright and fast vehicles, and it’s a recipe for mayhem. 

Understanding their behaviours can help keep you (and them!) safe on the road.  

• Kangaroos travel in large groups. Fast vehicles with headlights on will startle them, causing them to frantically hop in random directions.
• Kangaroos are most active at dusk and dawn, when they’re hardest to see. It doesn’t help that their fur colour camouflages them. 
• Kangaroos tend towards two extremes when startled – they either dart erratically or freeze when faced with an oncoming vehicle and their dazzling headlights. 

How to avoid a roo

There are a few things a typical driver could do to avoid encountering a kangaroo on the open roads, but these are mostly highly impractical for truckies, such as sticking to driving during the day and avoid driving at dawn and dusk.

Some more practical tips for truckies to avoid kangaroo collisions include the following:

• Drive more cautiously at dusk and dawn 
• If you’ve seen one kangaroo, there are likely to be more, so slow down and keep an eye out
• Turn off your high beams if you see kangaroos, so you don’t startle them
• Consider installing anti-animal devices, such as sonic emitters, road surface odour repellents and others
• Install safety measures on your truck, such as bull bars and other safety equipment designed for a truck, to ensure in the case of a collision the damage is minimal, and you can get back on the road in no time