What to Do If You Hit a Kangaroo or Other Animal While Driving

Whether you’re winding through the outskirts of suburbia or driving on an outback highway, wild animals are always nearby in Australia. Chances are you’ve witnessed the heartbreaking sight of an injured or dead animal on the side of the road – or, more devastatingly, hit a kangaroo or other animal yourself. Sadly, wildlife-vehicle collisions are common on Australian roads, with an estimated 10 million native animals killed each year.¹

Would you know what to do if you hit a kangaroo or other animal on the road, or what actions you can take to reduce your risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions? And does car insurance cover hitting a kangaroo or other animals?

To help you find out, we’ve put together this handy guide on what steps to take if you hit an animal with your vehicle.

What should you do if you hit an animal while driving?

If you’re unfortunate enough to hit an animal, the advice is the same as with any other car accident – first, consider the safety of yourself and your passengers.

“Your safety is important. You can’t help the animal after an accident if you put yourself in danger,” says Breanna Pitt, wildlife nurse at RSPCA Queensland.

If anyone is injured or needs immediate assistance, or the animal is causing a traffic hazard, call 000 right away.² Youi’s downloadable car accident checklist may be a helpful resource to have on-hand in an accident.

What to do if a kangaroo is hit by a car

Kangaroos can be found in various habitats throughout Australia and are a common sight when driving on country or outback roads – especially at dawn or dusk.³

As kangaroo car accidents are the most common animal collisions on our roads,⁸ it may be helpful to know what to do if this ever happens to you. Here are some recommended steps:⁴

• Check it’s safe to stop
• If the kangaroo isn’t breathing, check for joeys in its pouch or nearby
• If the animal is alive, don’t get too close or attempt to move it
• Call your nearest wildlife rescue organisation.⁴

“Given their size, kangaroos will require specialised transportation, so a carer or RSPCA ambulance needs to be called,” says Pitt.

If you’re in a rural area without mobile phone reception, go to the police station or local veterinarian when you reach the nearest town and notify them.

How to respond if you hit a koala

Koalas are now listed as an endangered species in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, and vehicle collisions are one of their key threats.⁵

While this national icon might look cute and cuddly, Pitt says to remember koalas’ claws are made for climbing trees.

“When a koala is stressed or in pain, they’ll bite and scratch, leading to painful injuries, so approach them with caution,” she warns. “Call a local koala care group or an RSPCA ambulance immediately.” Further advice includes:⁶

• If the koala is dead, check the pouch and surrounding areas for a joey
• If you find a joey that’s not attached to the teat, remove it from the pouch and keep it warm and quiet
• Very small young still on the teat in the pouch shouldn’t be removed. Wait for guidance from a wildlife rescue organisation.⁶

What to do if you hit a wombat

Australia is home to three wombat species: the bare-nosed wombat in the east, the Southern hairy-nosed wombat mostly in SA, and the Northern hairy-nosed wombat, considered one of the world’s most critically endangered mammals.⁷

If you hit a wombat, here’s what the RSPCA recommends:⁸

• If the wombat is alive, don’t approach. A distressed and injured wombat can be aggressive.
• If the wombat is dead, turn it gently onto its back and pull it off the road using its front paws.
• Once off the road, check the pouch of females for joeys.
• Contact your local wildlife rescue group.⁸

What you should do if you run over a snake

Around 100 different species of venomous snakes call Australia home.⁹ If you hit a snake on the road, Pitt advises using extreme caution, and recommends the following steps:

If you can’t identify the species, contact reptile care groups or the RSPCA ambulance in case the snake is venomous.

Stop, pull over and check your vehicle thoroughly, in case the animal is caught in your car’s grill or engine bay.

What happens if you hit a deer?

Wild deer now exist in many regions across Australia, with their numbers having exploded in recent decades.¹⁰

“Hitting a feral deer is very similar to hitting a kangaroo,” says Pitt. “They are large and will cause a lot of damage to themselves and the vehicle.”

If you hit a deer, you should pull over to the side of the road where it’s safe to do so and call your local wildlife rescue group.⁶

What to do if you hit a goanna on the road

Goannas, a type of monitor lizard, can grow to more than two metres long. They have very sharp teeth and claws that can cause significant injury so, if you hit one on the road, it’s important to exercise extreme caution.¹¹

Advice from Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) includes:¹¹

• Don’t try to touch or capture the animal
• Contact a wildlife rescue organisation
• Keep an eye on the lizard from a safe distance and keep pets and people away until the situation is resolved.¹¹

What you should do if you hit a cassowary

An endangered species, cassowaries are found in Far North Queensland's tropical rainforests, melaleuca swamps and mangrove forests. Known as the world's most dangerous birds, these flightless birds can be as tall as a person.¹²

Cassowaries can inflict serious injuries to people and pets with their large, clawed feet, so it’s important to be careful if you see or hit one on the road. In the case of an accident – whether the bird is alive or dead – call Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science on 1300 130 372.¹³

What happens if you hit an echidna?

While they’re usually rare to see, echidnas are more active during their mating season in spring,¹⁴ and as such, can sometimes end up on the road.¹⁵

If you hit an echidna on the road, it’s recommended that you:

• Call your local wildlife group or RSPCA¹⁵
• Carefully pick up the echidna with a towel or the rubber floor mat from your car, and place it in a bucket or box – don’t use a shovel to pick it up, as this can harm the animal¹⁵
• Don’t try to warm up an echidna as they can’t handle temperatures over 30 degrees C¹⁴
• Take an injured echidna to a veterinary clinic for an X-ray because you can’t feel broken bones as you would other animals.¹⁴

What to do if you hit livestock

Livestock, including cows and sheep, can be fast and unpredictable on country roads.¹⁶

If you have a collision with livestock, stop where it’s safe to do so and call a nearby vet for help.⁶ You’re also obligated to report the incident and the injury to the animal’s owner or the police.¹⁷

What to do if you hit a domestic pet

In an urban setting, it’s unlikely that you’ll encounter some of the animals mentioned above. However, it pays to understand what your responsibilities are in the unfortunate event you hit a dog or cat.

“If it’s safe to do so, collect the animal and present it to a veterinary hospital or clinic immediately,” advises Pitt.

If possible, Pitt says you should also contact the pet’s owner or, depending on the situation, report the incident to the police.

In fact, failing to take appropriate action to render assistance after hitting an animal on the road in some parts of Australia could be breaking the law. In NSW, for example, a motorist could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail.¹⁸ The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in NSW specifies the driver of a vehicle that strikes and injures an animal must “inform, as soon as practical, an officer or a person in charge of the animal that the animal has been injured”.¹⁸ Meanwhile, the ACT’s Animal Welfare Act states that a person who injures an animal commits an offence if they do “not take reasonable steps to assist with the animal's injury – including by seeking veterinary treatment”.¹⁹

Wildlife rescue resources across Australia

If you encounter a kangaroo hit by a car, have hit an animal yourself or want to report injured wildlife, help is on hand. Here are some contacts who may be able to assist or direct you to more specialised or local services:

• Australia-wide – Wildlife Rescue Australia, 1300 596 457
• New South Wales – WIRES, 1300 094 737
• Victoria – Wildlife Victoria, (03) 8400 7300
• Queensland – RSPCA Queensland, 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625)
• Western Australia – Wildcare Helpline, (08) 9474 9055
• South Australia – Fauna Rescue, (08) 8289 0896 or 1300 KOALAS (1300 562 527)
• Tasmania – Bonorong Wildlife Rescue, 0447 2​64 625
• Australian Capital Territory – ACT Wildlife, 0432 300 033
• Northern Territory – Wildcare: (08) 8988 6121 or 0408 885 341

 
You can also download the free IFAW Wildlife Rescue App²⁰ and use it to connect with local wildlife services across Australia.

Tips to help avoid hitting an animal on the road

While it can’t always be avoided, there are some steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a kangaroo car accident or other wildlife-vehicle collision.

Obey speed limits

“Slowing down or reducing road speeds through fragmented habitat can save an animal’s life,” Pitt says.²¹

“Follow the enforced speed limits, slow down on poorly lit or bush-lined roads, and always observe wildlife slow zones.”

Stay alert

Especially at dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active, keep your eyes on the road and scan the sides for movement.²¹

“Dusk and dawn are the high crash zone times, although any time of day or night can present a risk,” says Pitt.

“Cooler-weather species such as macropods [kangaroos], echidnas and koalas are on the move mostly during June to October, while everything else prefers the heat, so you should be especially alert from late August to late April.”

Use your horn and headlights

Using bright headlights can help increase your visibility and allow you to better see animals on the road ahead, giving you more time to react.²²

If you do see an animal, using your horn can often be enough to encourage it to move away from the road.²²

Know local wildlife

Knowing what animals you’re likely to encounter can help you stay alert. To find out what wildlife is prevalent in an area, you can search online or ask a local. It's also important to be aware of breeding seasons, when many species are more active.²²

Don’t swerve

If you do find yourself about to hit an animal and are unable to stop safely, experts say you should never swerve.²³

“By swerving, you may find yourself in the path of an oncoming vehicle, or you could hit a tree,” Darren Davis, President of the Get Home Safe Foundation, told Drive.²³

“Unfortunately, we have lost many lives and seen many life-changing injuries due to drivers swerving.”²³

Animal collision claims around Australia

New data from Youi reveals that wildlife-vehicle collisions are impacting drivers nationwide. Youi received 2,607 animal collision claims between October 2024 and October 2025 alone.²⁴ Here’s a snapshot of animal collision claims around the country:²⁴

While they may not be among the most common types of car accidents in Australia, wildlife-vehicle collisions are on the rise in some states. Reports of kangaroos hit by cars in Victoria have been creeping up in recent years,²⁵ while kangaroo car accidents have increased by around 40% in South Australia.²⁶

Does car insurance cover hitting a kangaroo or other animal on the road?

Depending on your insurer – and presuming you were driving legally at the time of the incident – you may be covered for wildlife collisions if you have comprehensive car insurance.

Comprehensive policies may also cover damage caused by actions you took to avoid hitting an animal,⁸ and you may be able to make a claim straight away.

If you have a different type of cover, such as Third Party Fire & Theft or Third Party Property Only, your insurance may only cover the cost of damage to other cars and property.⁸

It’s worth noting that you’ll likely still have to pay an excess on an insurance claim for a kangaroo car accident or other wildlife collision, and it could potentially impact your premium.⁸

Now you know what to do if you hit a kangaroo or other animal on the road, you might like to explore our car insurance options to find out if they’re the right fit for you. After a car insurance quote? You can call us on 13 9684 or start a quote online.

¹ Source: The University of Melbourne – 10 million animals die on our roads each year. Here’s what works (and what doesn’t) to cut the toll, March 2024
² Source: Queensland Police – Traffic crash FAQs
³ Source: NSW Centre for Road Safety – Watch for animals
⁴ Source: Canstar – What to do if you hit a kangaroo while driving, June 2025
⁵ Source: WIRES – Koalas
⁶ Source: WIRES – Driver Awareness
⁷ Source: The Wombat Foundation – Wombats
⁸ Source: RSPCA – Wombats
⁹ Source: NSW Environment and Heritage – Snakes, last updated September 2024
¹⁰ Source: Australian Government – New Feral Deer Plan Protects Agriculture and Environment, August 2023
¹¹ Source: WIRES – Monitor lizards
¹² Source: Qld Government – Southern cassowary
¹³ Source: Qld Government – Be Cass-o-wary safety tips, November 2025
¹⁴ Source: WIRES – Echidna
¹⁵ Source: Sydney Wildlife Rescue – Echidnas
¹⁶ Source: NSW Government – Animals on country roads
¹⁷ Source: NSW Legal Aid – Car accidents involving animals
¹⁸ Source: NSW Government – Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 No 200
¹⁹ Source: Wildlife Victoria – Inquiry into wildlife roadstrike in Australia
²⁰ Source: IFAW – You can save Australian wildlife with your phone
²¹ Source: NSW Environment and Heritage – Six tips for avoiding collisions with koalas and other native animals on the road, December 2024
²² Source: RSPCA Qld – Avoiding Wildlife on the Road, October 2024
²³ Source: Drive – ‘We’ve lost many lives’: Should you swerve to avoid wildlife?, October 2025
²⁴ Source: Youi reported data on animal collision claims for the period of 16/10/2024 to 16/10/2025
²⁵ Source: ABC News – Kangaroo-related collisions on rise across Victoria, RACV data reveals, August 2025
²⁶ Source: ABC News – Kangaroo activity increasing on South Australian regional roads, with collisions up by about 40 per cent, November 2025