subject: Could Your Car Colour Lead to an Accident? [print this page] Could Your Car Colour Lead to an Accident?
How do you choose your car? Most of us are attracted to cars that will fulfil our needs, such as choosing a five door model instead of a three door one. We might also think about the size of a car if we have a large family to consider. We might even think about the colour if we have a particular favourite shade.
But did you know that the colour of your car could have an influence on how safe you will be behind the wheel?
According to studies certain colours of cars definitely seem to be safer to drive than others. Conversely some cars are more likely to be involved in crashes than other colours, so it would seem that it definitely pays to think about the colour of your next car as well as various other factors.
Apparently a brown car is the worst colour to have if you are in New Zealand. Studies undertaken several years ago found that of all the accidents that took place in a year long period, brown cars appeared the most. Black cars also turned out to be riskier in this sense, and green cars followed close behind.
Unusually though, some other countries have also undertaken similar research and the colours do not always have the same position in the results. For instance, a car insurance company in the UK found that black was the most likely colour car to be involved in a smash.
Perhaps the most interesting mismatched data in these reports related to silver cars. In the UK these took second place on the list of cars most likely to have accidents. But in the New Zealand study silver cars were among the safest ones of all. Perhaps it has something to do with the surroundings?
It is certainly an interesting detail to consider when you next go out to buy another vehicle though. Lots of people will be involved in car accidents in their lifetimes, and we can but hope that if we are among them, the accident we have will be a small and relatively insignificant one. It should also be remembered that the way we drive and pay attention to the road and situation around us is a big factor in how safe we are when driving, so car colour is not the only factor at play here.
It is an interesting study though, and if you happen to be driving a silver car you will no doubt be glad to know it is one of the safest colours there is. Accidents can involve all kinds of outcomes, from windscreen repairs to a significant amount of repair work. The less likely you are to be in one in the first place the better.
