Kangaroos ahead sign
What the Kangaroos ahead sign means: Kangaroos cross the road along this stretch, most often around dawn and dusk, so slow down and scan the verges.
- Group
- Warning signs
- Does this group carry the law
- Not enforceable on its own. It changes nothing about right of way.
- In the sign deck
- 3 questions ask about this sign
What to do when you see it
- Slow down, especially between dusk and dawn when kangaroos move most.
- Scan the verges and the fence lines rather than only the road ahead.
- If one crosses, expect more behind it, because they travel in groups.
- Brake in a straight line rather than swerving, since leaving the road at speed is usually the worse outcome.
Where you see it
On rural highways and country roads almost everywhere in Australia, and on the outer edges of most capital cities.
Across the states and territories
The animal on the sign changes with the region. Kangaroos are the most widely used, while cattle, camels, emus, wombats and koalas appear on signs in the states and territories where those animals cross roads. The action is the same in each case: slow down and scan.
Tell it apart from these
- Kangaroos aheadthis pageCattle ahead
Livestock are slow and stay put. Kangaroos are fast, arrive without warning and change direction, so the sign asks for more caution at dusk.
Cattle ahead: Cattle may be on or beside the road here, so slow down and be ready to stop.
- Kangaroos aheadthis pageCurve to the left
Both are yellow diamonds, and on an unlit country road at night the shape reads before the symbol does. Slow down first and identify second.
Curve to the left: The road ahead curves to the left, so slow down before you reach it.
How the knowledge tests use it
The braking answer is the one being tested: brake in a straight line, do not swerve, and accept the collision over leaving the road at speed.
What does this sign mean?
Animal warning signs are placed where animals of that kind regularly reach the road. The risk runs along the whole stretch, not just at the sign.
State and territory driver handbooks, warning signs
Common questions
- What does the Kangaroos ahead sign mean?
- Kangaroos cross the road along this stretch, most often around dawn and dusk, so slow down and scan the verges.
- What should you do when you see a Kangaroos ahead sign?
- Slow down, especially between dusk and dawn when kangaroos move most. Scan the verges and the fence lines rather than only the road ahead. If one crosses, expect more behind it, because they travel in groups. Brake in a straight line rather than swerving, since leaving the road at speed is usually the worse outcome.
- Where is the Kangaroos ahead sign used?
- On rural highways and country roads almost everywhere in Australia, and on the outer edges of most capital cities.
- What is the Kangaroos ahead sign confused with?
- Cattle ahead: Livestock are slow and stay put. Kangaroos are fast, arrive without warning and change direction, so the sign asks for more caution at dusk. Curve to the left: Both are yellow diamonds, and on an unlit country road at night the shape reads before the symbol does. Slow down first and identify second.
- How do the knowledge tests ask about the Kangaroos ahead sign?
- The braking answer is the one being tested: brake in a straight line, do not swerve, and accept the collision over leaving the road at speed.
Try it in a question
Original practice questions, not the official bank. How we write and check them.
More warning signs
Yellow diamond with a black symbol.