With daylight savings having now drawn to a close, motorists are spotting more kangaroos and large animals on the road. 

Graeme Hull Smash Repairs manager Nicholas Hull said the business typically works on four to five cars per week that have been hit by a kangaroo. 

In the past six weeks the numbers have risen dramatically, with six cars arriving on Thursday, three on Friday morning and an average of 15 per week. 

Mr Hull said kangaroos are the number one animal causing trouble for motorists but not to underestimate any others, with one car arriving after hitting a deer. 

Motorists are reporting seeing the kangaroos not just at dawn and at night but also during the day. 

“There’s no real pattern to it at the moment,” Mr Hull said. 

“They seem to be attracted to the high beam but it’s hard if they’re jumping out in front of you.

“If you see them in the distance and can go to a low beam it probably won’t attract them as much.” 

While typically a car is not a write-off after an animal related crash, Mr Hull said motorists are still looking at thousands worth of damage, especially if the kangaroos are jumping up and hitting windows. 

It comes after peak wildlife rescue service WIRES urged road users to remain alert and slow down.

A crash even at 60 km/h could cause considerable damage to many cars. 

Riverina Police District Inspector Peter McLay has urged road users to watch out for kangaroos this weekend while traveling across the region, with the danger of hitting a large animal the greatest in rural and regional areas.

Inspector McLay said a crash with a large animal has the potential to turn deadly. 

“Particularly around dawn and dusk if motorists see wildlife I’d encourage them not to try and avoid a collision,” he said. 

“Often at times that can result in some pretty disastrous consequences which we recently saw with a motorcyclist who was killed in NSW. 

“There may well be wildlife on the roads so just drive appropriately and cautiously.”