Spring marks the beginning of breeding season, with wildlife becoming more active and moving around looking for partners and food.

At the same time, regional Victorians are beginning to travel more freely across the state after a period of lockdown.

The Department of Transport, police and wildlife rescuers are encouraging drivers to be vigilant, with the knowledge that wildlife will be grazing near roads and attempting to cross them in regional Victoria for the next couple of months.

With increasing urban sprawl, more wildlife is at risk of being injured or killed on our roads.

While a vehicle collision with an animal results in serious injury or likely death for the animal, the impact of a collision with a large animal, such as a kangaroo, can also cause serious injury to a driver or their passengers.

Last year, the number of collisions with kangaroos peaked in October and the department believes the trend will likely continue this year.

With increased rainfall across the state and water-runoff from roads meaning grass is fresher at the roadside, the areas are more appealing to wildlife.

Last year, there were 86 recorded vehicle collisions involving kangaroos or wallabies, with 21 per cent of the people involved sustaining serious injuries.

It must be noted that this data is only reflective of incidents the department was made aware of, with the department acknowledging that it is well-known that the number of incidents is higher than this.

The majority of these incidents, 62, occurred in regional areas, with 16 causing serious injury to a person involved.

Most of the collisions occurred in October and November.

Donna Zabinskas, who operates the Ballarat and District Greendale Animal Rescue (BADGAR) and a wildlife shelter in Greendale, said spring was always "extremely busy".

"The phone rings constantly, all day," she said.

From baby birds being blown out of the nest on windy days, Ms Zabinskas said there was also an increase in injured or orphaned kangaroos and wombats each spring.

You might also like: 'Love them appropriately': wildlife carer urges people not to attempt to keep kangaroos as pets

You might also like: 'Preventable death to our vulnerable wildlife': renewed calls to fence off mine shafts

Related coverage: Why wildlife rescue takes a mental toll on volunteers

Wildlife shelters across the region are already filling up very quickly, with many already at capacity.

Ms Zabinskas has more than a dozen kangaroos in care, in addition to baby wombats and a range of birds.

"It has been a very busy season. Most of the shelters around here are at full capacity - especially with kangaroo and wallaby joeys. It's a busy, busy time.

"We have a lot of orphaned wildlife at the moment and unfortunately that's not uncommon for this time of year," Ms Zabinskas said, adding that while the majority of orphans wind up in care after their mums have been killed after being struck by a car, it is also common for kangaroos and wallabies to be killed after becoming caught in fences.

She urged people to be vigilant on country roads and freeways, especially when driving through pockets of bushland.

"We'd like people to be more aware that animals are on the move at the moment, to slow down a bit and if they see something, to give us a ring."

While the risk is present at any time, wildlife is most active at dusk and dawn.

Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant, Stuart Gale, said that when driving on country roads, it was highly likely that a driver would come across wildlife or livestock.

And police don't want to see any more serious or fatal collisions in the region this year.

The best way to avoid a collision with a kangaroo is to slow down around dusk and dawn, especially when you drive past a yellow animal warning sign on the roadside.

Headlights can 'blind' kangaroos, confusing them and initiating their reactive fight or flight response - meaning they could bounce onto the road and into incoming traffic.

"If you do come across that situation, stay your course, brake in a straight line and try not to swerve to avoid the animal," Senior Sergeant Gale said.

Swerving suddenly to avoid an animal on the road can result in a serious accident - a loss of vehicle control, crashing into a tree or other fixed object or the vehicle rolling. It could also result in swerving into oncoming traffic and causing a multi-vehicle accident.

Increased wildlife activity can also mean animals are struck by trains. On the V/Line network, more than 750 animal strikes have been reported in the last year.

With a deep clean bio-wash required after a strike, the process can mean commuters experience long delays, trains running with fewer carriages or the train service being replaced by coaches.

If you strike an animal or encounter injured wildlife, contact BADGAR on 1300 223 427 or Wildlife Victoria on 8400 7300.