Kangaroo smashes car windscreen on Golden Highway

A kangaroo went through the front glass of the car travelling along the Golden Highway at Jerrys Plains about 6am on Thursday, police report.

The animal snapped the passenger seat, they say.

“No one was in the seat, however, the kangaroo sadly died,” police said.

NSW Police have posted a photo of the car’s wreckage on social media, pointing to it as a stark reminder of the dangers of motoring.

“Animals can be unpredictable, it’s important to slow down and be aware of your surroundings,” NSW police said in a post to Twitter.

Jerrys Plains is on the road between Dubbo and Newcastle.

In October NSW Ambulance also warned road users to be aware of wildlife after a spike in crashes with kangaroos.

Since August 1, 2017, paramedics had attended 38 collisions involving kangaroos, including eight in the states’ west.

Paramedics have attended 224 incidents involving wildlife in the past two years, with estimates suggesting one in seven crashes on country roads involves animals.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Rhys Dive said in October incidents included vehicles losing control and either rolling or colliding with trees and other obstacles, and sudden braking that resulted in collisions with other vehicles, including rear-enders.

Inspector Dive advised people to stay alert and slow down, especially at sunrise and sunset when visibility is decreased and animals tend to be more active.

“Quite a few of the incidents which have occurred in the past few months have involved motorists travelling in excess of 100 kilometres per hour and the sudden impact has caused the vehicles to roll or veer into trees and down embankments,” he said.

In 2015 for the third consecutive year, Dubbo had the highest instance of animal collisions on NSW roads, according to a National Roads and Motorists Association (NRMA) insurance report.