QUEANBEYAN Police are advising drivers not to attempt to take "evasive action" when confronted by animals on the road after a Burra man rolled his car trying to avoid a kangaroo earlier this week.
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The 48-year-old man was lucky to escape injury when he lost control of his car after swerving to avoid the kangaroo on Burra Road.
He had to be helped from his upturned vehicle by a passing driver but emerged unscathed from the wreckage.
Queanbeyan Police Inspector Chris Varley said it was every motorist's natural reaction to attempt to avoid animals on the road.
But he said doing so in an unsafe manner can put drivers and other motorists at even greater risk.
"I understand the natural reaction when something jumps out onto the road in front of you is to pull the steering wheel," Inspector Varley said.
"But people need to focus on not swerving away as you can end up colliding with another vehicle, another object or, as this poor chap has done, rolling your vehicle.
"The worst thing people can do is to try and drive evasively to avoid kangaroos. Drivers are better off to try and remain travelling in a straight line than swerving."
The recent spell of dry weather has seen increasing numbers of kangaroos congregating on road sides and grassy verges leading to an increased risk to motorists.
Inspector Varley said driving in a "careful and attentive manner" was the best way to avoid a collision.
"First and foremost people who live in this area should know which traffic corridors are particularly bad for kangaroos," Inspector Varley said.
"It's also been particularly dry lately which is bringing a lot of kangaroos down to the roadsides. The best piece of advice is to drive carefully and attentively, particularly around early morning and late afternoon.
"It always pays to drive 5-10km under the posted speed limit if you know kangaroos are around to give yourself the best chance of avoiding a collision."
Pram filled with stolen coffee
A 55-YEAR-OLD man was charged with theft after Queanbeyan Police found him pushing a pram full of stolen goods down the middle of Uriarra Road on Friday night.
At 11.40pm, police conducting a routine patrol came across the man who was pushing the pram containing a backpack and other items.
After conducting a search, police uncovered a number of packets of ground coffee mixes which were later revealed to have been stolen from Woolworths.
The man was also charged with possessing a number of items that could be used to commit break and enter offences including several screwdrivers.
Local business looted
SEVERAL hundred dollars was looted from a safe stolen from a Queanbeyan business over the weekend.
A
t 8.30am on Sunday morning, Queanbeyan Police were called to Letchworth Park where they found the opened safe behind the oval's toilet block.
A number of keys and receipts were found at the location.
The safe's owner was then contacted and subsequently informed police an alarm at his Bayldon Road business had gone off at about 5am that morning when the safe was presumably stolen.
It is unknown why the business owner did not contact police at the time of the theft.
Police are investigating the break and enter but were unable to provide details as to how the safe had been opened.
High school break and enter
POLICE are investigating after Queanbeyan High School was broken into on Sunday.
However, Queanbeyan High principal John Clarke said "nothing of significance" had been stolen during the incident.
Two doors which were forced open during the break and enter will need to be replaced but damage was otherwise described as minimal.
School security was alerted to the break in after a cleaner discovered a window in C Block which had been forced open.
Mr Clarke said it was just the second time in the past nine years the school had suffered a break and enter.
Fire investigated
NSW Police are investigating two grass fires near Sutton on the weekend that are believed to have been deliberately lit.
At 1.10pm on Saturday, Rural Fire Service crews from Sutton and the ACT attended a fire near the Federal Highway off ramp at Eaglehawk.
Some 20 minutes later a motorist came across a second grass fire on Sutton Road near the intersection of Browns Lane.
The RFS has since determined both fires were likely deliberately lit with investigations passed on to NSW Police's dedicated bushfire taskforce Strike Force Toronto.
Woman charged driving mid-range PCA
A 37-YEAR-OLD woman who attempted to avoid a random breath test on Canberra Avenue has been charged with mid-range drink driving.
At about 1.52am on Sunday morning, the woman approached a roadside breath testing site but prior to being stopped pulled off to the side of the road and turned her lights off.
Her actions attracted the attention of police who approached the driver and conducted a roadside breath test which produced a positive reading.
The woman, from Dalmeny, NSW, was arrested and taken to Queanbeyan Police Station where she blew a reading of 0.087.
No charges after car and cyclist collide
A CYCLIST was left with a broken arm after being struck by a car at the intersection of Bungendore and Atkinson streets in Queanbeyan on Saturday.
But no charges have been laid despite police finding the 40-year-old driver at fault having failed to give way. Instead, police said the driver had been issued with an infringement notice.
The 52-year-old cyclist, from Downer in the ACT, was taken to hospital following the collision.