'Roos writing-off rate rises

Motorists in Myrtleford, Mount Beauty, Bright and Porepunkah have made more than 100 claims arising from collisions with kangaroos in the past five years. New RACV Insurance data shows 106 kangaroo-related collision claims were lodged by RACV members across the four towns between January 2021 and June 2026. The figure was the same for Mansfield and more than Yea and Alexandra's 85 claims, but signficantly less than Wangaratta and Wangaratta South with 167 claims; Euroa, Violet Town and Nagambie with 197 claims; and Beechworth, Rutherglen, Chiltern, and Yackandandah region with 275 claims. The local figures form part of almost 31,000 kangaroo-related collision claims lodged by RACV members across Victoria over the same period. Across the state, Victorian motorists were involved in almost 20 kangaroo collisions a day on average last year, with claims peaking in 2025. The RACV figures reveal kangaroo collisions are also becoming more costly, with the average claim reaching almost $9000 in 2025, up 48 per cent since 2021. One in six kangaroo collision claims now results in a vehicle being written off, compared with one in nine four years earlier. RACV general manager insurance and roadside Bill Bloodworth said collisions tended to peak during the cooler months and were most likely at dawn and dusk. "We tend to see higher claims volumes in the cooler months, when claims from April to August run more than 20 per cent higher than the rest of the year," Mr Bloodworth said. "The risk is greatest at dawn and dusk, so motorists should slow down, stay alert, and scan the roadside, particularly where kangaroos are most active." Mr Bloodworth also said many people assumed kangaroo strikes were largely confined to country roads. "A lot of people assume this is only a rural-road issue," he said. "As our outer suburbs grow, more cars are sharing the road with more kangaroos, and the result is more collisions, more written-off vehicles and bigger repair bills for everyday Victorians." Motorists are urged to reduce speed in wildlife-prone areas, scan roadsides carefully, use high beam headlights when it is safe to do so and avoid swerving if a collision becomes unavoidable. "If anyone is injured, call 000, and if the animal is injured, contact local wildlife services," Mr Bloodworth said.

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