THE most notorious local government areas for animal collisions in NSW and the ACT from 2017 to 2022 are Dubbo at 689; Canberra, 568 and Goulburn, 479.

A new NRMA Insurance report showed there were more than 900 collisions that caused injuries, ranging from minor to fatal crashes on NSW and ACT roads between 2015 and 2020.

Beyond vehicle damage, NRMA data suggests costs of road trauma as a result of animal collisions are about $7 billion a year.

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said it’s estimated that 10 million animals die on Australian roads every year.

“What people might not know is that approximately three per cent of crashes in regional areas are the result of impact collisions with wildlife,” he said.

“We know that driver behaviour is the single biggest contributor to motor vehicle accidents, so more focus needs to be placed on driver education around how to minimise the risk of accidents involving wildlife.

“Drivers are encouraged to be particularly alert at dawn and dusk as this is when wildlife tends to be most active. If an animal moves in front of your vehicle, it’s critical that drivers do not swerve.”