Watch Out for that Kangaroo!

Volvo Car Corp. is developing a kangaroo detection and avoidance system for its cars in Australia.

The carmaker’s goal is to reduce collisions with the ubiquitous hoppers. There are more than 20,000 accidents involving kangaroos on Australian roads each year that cost about $54 million in insurance claims, according to the country’s National Roads & Motorists’ Assn.

The size and weight of kangaroos, coupled with high vehicle speeds on Australian highways, also can result in serious injuries and fatalities for vehicle occupants as well as to the animals themselves.

Volvo has sent a team of safety experts to Australia’s Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra, which has one of the highest kangaroo-vehicle accidents rates, to film and study the roadside behavior of the indigenous animals. The company notes that kangaroos are faster and more erratic than animals it previously has studied, such as moose and cows.

Volvo also is field testing specially equipped versions of its top-end XC90 crossover. The vehicles use existing radar and camera technology to detect kangaroos and automatically apply the brakes if a collision is determined to be imminent. Similar algorithms also could be tailored to high-risk animals in other areas regions, Volvo notes.