Car Color and Crash Risk
Choosing a color is one of the most enjoyable and exciting parts of shopping for a new vehicle.
But did you know that your color selection may have an influence over the safety of your new ride? Research suggests that car color and crash risk are more related than we could have even thought.
Therefore, you could be more likely to be in a car accident due to the color of your vehicle.
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What is the Safest Car Color?
There is some disagreement among experts about which car color is the least susceptible to accidents.
Research conducted by a team from the University of Auckland and the University of Sydney found that silver cars are the safest on the road.
They came to this conclusion by examining car crash data from the Auckland area between April 1998 and June 1999. During that 14-month period, silver vehicles were involved in fewer injury-causing and fatal collisions than any other color.
The researchers noted that their results did not seem to be skewed by any external factors. Even after they made adjustments for seat belt use, driver age, ethnicity, alcohol consumption, vehicle speed, and weather, silver cars still had the lowest crash risk.
A more recent study, conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Center in Australia found that white cars, not silver ones, are the safest on the road. To arrive at this conclusion, researchers analyzed more than 850,000 accidents in the states of Victoria and Western Australia from 1982 to 2004.
Their final report states that “no color was statistically significantly safer than white.” However, they also clarified than some other color choices were only marginally more likely to get into a car accident.
Why Are Silver and White Cars Among the Safest on the Road?
Though there is some disagreement about which car color has the lowest crash risk, researchers from the University of Auckland, the University of Sydney, and Monash University agree that silver and white vehicles are among the safest on the road. So, what sets these colors apart from the competition?
The simple answer is visibility. White and silver vehicles are some of the easiest to see on the road – especially when they are illuminated by the sun. And, of course, the easier it is for other drivers to spot a car down the street or in their rear-view mirror, the less likely they are to collide with them.
What is the Most Dangerous Color?
Given what is known about the close relationship between visibility and car safety, you won’t be surprised to learn that brown and black vehicles have a higher crash risk than other colors. These cars are not as easy to spot as their white and silver counterparts – making it quite a bit more likely that other road users will crash into them.
The difference in crash risk between silver vehicles and black/brown vehicles is not small, either. According to the report published by the team from the University of Auckland and the University of Sydney, black and brown cars are approximately five times more susceptible to accidents than silver cars.
Despite their safety concerns, black vehicles remain very popular in the United States. They account for more than 22 percent of all car sales each year.
How Safe or Dangerous Are Other Other Vehicle Colors?
If you don’t own a white, silver, brown, or black car, you are probably wondering where your ride ranks on the safety scale. So, let’s dive in and find out:
Red Vehicles
Red cars are a little trickier to see than their white and silver cousins. However, they still do an excellent job of making themselves known at just about every time of day and night. As such, most studies find that the crash risk for red vehicles is quite a bit below average.
Blue Vehicles
Blue cars are a bit tougher to rank than other colors. That’s because they come in a wide range of different shades – from light and bright to dark and almost-black.
Since light blue cars are quite easy to see, their crash risk is on the low end. Darker shades of blue, on the other hand, are much more susceptible to accidents.
Green Vehicles
The safety of green cars is heavily dependent on the environment in which they are driving. When they travel around urban areas, their crash risk is not much higher than their white/silver counterparts.
However, when green cars drive on rural roads that are surrounded by trees, fields, and hedges, they tend to get into a lot of collisions. That’s because they blend into the background – making it difficult for other road users to see them when traveling at speed.
Yellow Vehicles
Yellow cars are commonly regarded as some of the easiest to see on the road. That’s why taxis, school buses, and construction vehicles are often painted in this color. The improved visibility can massively reduce their crash risk.
Orange Vehicles
During the day, orange cars are just as easy to spot as their yellow cousins. However, when the sun goes down, they can become just a little trickier to see when traveling at speed. Nevertheless, they have a much lower crash risk rating than most other vehicles on the road.
Pink Vehicles
Pink cars are not very common. So, when drivers pass them on busy streets and highways, they tend to notice them immediately.
What does this information mean for the overall safety rating of pink cars? Well, it means that they do not get into as many collisions as less noticeable vehicles.
Grey Vehicles
Grey vehicles get into fewer accidents than black ones. However, grey remains one of the most dangerous car colors an individual can choose.
These vehicles have one of the worst crash risk ratings on the road because they can be tough to see when weather conditions are less than perfect. A low fog can make grey cars all but impossible to spot from a distance.
Besides Car Color, What Else Can Increase a Driver’s Crash Risk?
Though car color can play a significant role in increasing the odds of an accident occurring on the streets and highways of Texas, it is not the only contributor. The following factors can also make collisions much more likely:
Drunk Driving
When drivers have any amount of alcohol in their system, they lose their ability to operate their vehicle in a safe and courteous manner. It is not uncommon to find drunk drivers swerving from side to side, blowing through stop signs, and even driving on sidewalks and bike paths. These dangerous actions significantly increase the chances of an accident occurring.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance
Cars, trucks, and SUVs should undergo regular maintenance to keep them in good running order. When drivers fail to change their oil and replace broken or burned-out brake lights, their odds of getting into a collision increases significantly.
Distracted Driving
When Texas drivers text their friends, apply makeup, or eat food as they travel on a busy city street or highway, they often struggle to keep track of the movements of the road users in their vicinity. A distracted driver’s lack of awareness commonly leads to accidents.
Inclement Weather Conditions
Rain, fog, snow, and ice can make it much more difficult for Texans to safely operate their vehicles. The lack of visibility coupled with the ever-present danger of slips and skids can massively increase the risk of collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists.
Poorly Maintained Roads
Many city streets and highways around Texas are poorly marked and littered with potholes and other debris. Though these problems may feel like nothing more than an irritating nuisance or a failure of local government, they can also raise the risk of injury-causing and fatal accidents to the drivers and passengers who use those roads.
What Should You Do If You Get into a Car Crash?
Even if you drive a highly visible car and do your best to avoid dangerous situations, it is not possible to completely eliminate the possibility of getting into a car accident. When such a crash occurs, you would be well advised to follow these simple steps to protect your health and your financial future:
- Seek Medical Attention: If you need immediate medical care, call for an ambulance as quickly as possible.
- Contact Your Insurance Company: Let your insurer know that you got into an accident. Do not give them any unnecessary information.
- Call the Police: Tell the police about your crash. You may need to use their report as evidence in a personal injury lawsuit.
- Take Plenty of Pictures: Photographs of the accident scene can also be useful evidence in a lawsuit.
- Hire an Experienced Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney: Your lawyer will be able to tell you what steps to take next. They can also communicate with your insurer on your behalf.
Don’t hesitate to call Stephens Law Firm, PLLC, if you’ve been injured in a crash. Attorney Jason Stephens is always standing by when you need help.
Want to Learn More About the Relationship Between Car Color and Crash Risk? Contact a Car Accident Law Firm in Fort Worth
The Stephens Law Firm, PLLC, has been providing world-class legal services to the people of Texas for years. If you would like to learn a little more about how car color can impact crash risk or need some help filing a personal injury lawsuit after a collision, attorney Jason Stephens will be there for you. T
o set up a free consultation, all you need to do is give Jason a call at (817) 420-7000, or you can contact his law office online to submit your case.
