Watch out, wildlife about – tips for safer road trips

The colder seasons call for snuggly sleep-ins and lazy days indoors. But for our nocturnal animal friends, the arrival of shorter, darker days provides ideal conditions for increased play and activity. To keep them safe, we must take extra care on our roads.  

In the lead up to the busy school holiday travel period, we’re helping you plan for safer road trips, with simple ways to keep you and our precious native wildlife out of harm’s way. 

In 2025, NRMA Insurance received more than 15,000 claims* due to animal collisions. Animal related accidents spiked significantly during the cooler months, highlighting the increased risk during autumn and winter.  

“Our claims data* shows there is a heightened risk of wildlife accidents on our roads during autumn and winter when animals are more active in the early morning and evening, which coincides with popular driving periods for many using our roads”, said NRMA Insurance Executive Manager Claims Nick Kirkovski.  

Wildlife collisions can be extremely dangerous for drivers and can cause significant accidents.  

How drivers react to an animal on the road can help reduce the risk of an accident, save lives and protect our wildlife. Here are some simple precautions you can take:

• Avoid wildlife active periods: if you can, avoid driving at dawn, dusk, or night-time as this is usually when animals are most active, and lack of light makes it more difficult to see them.
  
  
• Don’t drive under fatigue: being alert when driving is imperative. It’s important to have a good night’s sleep before a long drive and schedule regular breaks, ideally for 15-minutes, every two hours.
  
  
• Slow down, but don’t swerve: if you see an animal on the road while driving, try to slow down but don’t swerve to avoid it, as you may run the risk of colliding with another car or running off the road. 
  
  
• Pay attention to signs: highly populated wildlife areas are usually clearly signed. When you notice these signs, be prepared to slow down or stop if you need to give way to animals crossing the road.  
  
  
• Call for assistance: if you hit an animal, and if it is safe to do so, check the animal’s welfare and call your local wildlife rescue service for guidance.