A THURGOONA man who hit a kangaroo with his car near Baranduda believes it is only a matter of time before a more serious collision occurs.
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Theo Fraser travels to Baranduda for work and every morning he sees the kangaroos grazing by the side of Boyes Road.
“They come out of no- where and they have no road sense,” Mr Fraser said.
Mr Fraser was driving his 1996 Magna when he struck a kangaroo on Boyes Road in late January.
“It made a bit of a mess ... there was a large dint in the middle of the bonnet, a smashed grille and some minor frame damage,” he said.
Mr Fraser escaped a large bill by taking it to the wreckers where he paid about $600.
He was told by staff he was the third kangaroo case that week.
“I am concerned that it’s only a matter of time before it involves more than one vehicle,” Mr Fraser said.
BP Panels director Mark French said there had been an increase in vehicle versus kangaroo accidents in the past three years.
“In the past year we have seen about 100 clients,” he said.
“About 80 per cent of them have occurred around Bandiana, near the army barracks.”
Jacob Body and Paint manager Dave Rogers said he did not believe the problem was any bigger than it had been in previous years.
“We see a lot in the summer months, other months you may have none,” Mr Rogers said.
“We have had some of our clients hit kangaroos in the middle of Wodonga, between Wilson and Lawrence streets.
“We have even had a lot of vehicles in after hitting wombats in the Beechworth area.”
Mr Rogers said animal-related crashes could put vehicles off the road from three days to three weeks with the size of the animal, impact-speed and availability of parts all affecting the repair time.
