More than half of all motor accidents in Guyra involve collisions with animals, nearly 90 times the average in Sydney, according to the latest AAMI Crash Index.
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Over a 12-month period, 65 per cent of accidents in the Guyra district were as a result of animal collisions. Animals account for only 0.54 per cent of Sydney claims, and the New England average is 36.66 per cent.
At 20 per cent the second-most prevalent cause of accidents in Guyra was failing to give way.
Bringing up the rear of reasons was nose-to-tail (five per cent), hitting a stationary object (five per cent) and rollover (five per cent).
The statistics reflect the very different driving conditions faced by country and city motorists, with the ranking of accident reasons pretty much reversed. Nose-to-tail accounted for most of Sydney’s motor accidents at 37.3 per cent, followed by failed to give-way at 29.10 per cent.
The data comes from accident insurance claims across the country from August 2015 to August 2016, with 81 motor accidents attributed to the 2372 postcode in that period. While the statistics for New England as a whole were slightly more ‘citified’ than those for Guyra alone, AAMI spokesperson Jake Krausmann had some advice for drivers forced to dodge kangaroos, pigs, deer and other animals on a daily basis.
“Unfortunately these types of accidents continue to be common occurrences on our roads, despite many of them being avoidable,” he said.
“New England drivers should keep a lookout for wildlife on the road, particularly when they drive near national parks and forests,” Mr Krausmann said
“Wildlife is unpredictable and can appear out of nowhere, so it’s important to slow down and be aware of your environment, particularly inside sign-posted wildlife areas.
Wildlife is unpredictable and can appear out of nowhere, so it’s important to slow down and be aware of your environment.
- Jake Krausmann
“Drivers should also focus their attention to being aware of their surroundings given one in four collided with a stationary object, such as parked cars, trees and road barriers.
“Regardless of how familiar a driver is with their local roads, it doesn’t dilute the importance of safe driving.”