Black attack
A twenty year study has been released this week stating that black cars are forty seven percent more likely to be involved in crashes, with the statistics not lying in who is driving the car, but more the fact that a black car has much poorer visibility than others. White, gold and yellow cars on the other hand are the safest cars to drive, for the same reason.
Red, blue, black and silver cars fail to stand out against the backdrop of everyday life, blending in easily with other road users, traffic and scenery. The researchers from Australia took into account major factors, like the fact that drivers who take risks may be drawn to a certain colour of car, and found that black cars are the most accident prone.
During daylight hours, a black vehicle was found to be twelve percent more likely to be involved in a car accident than a white counterpart, and during dawn and dusk, the black car crash figure rose to nearly fifty percent.
The study hinted that orange cars may be even safer than white, but as the orange car is less prevalent on the roads, it is harder to compare.
Researcher Dr Stuart Newstead said: ‘Whilst campaigns to modify vehicle colour choice could alter the crash risk for the fleet, colour is a much less influential crash risk modifier than behavioural traits such as drink-driving, and speeding.
‘It may be possible that simple solutions such as the use of daytime running lights or headlights could effectively negate the elevated risks of higher risk vehicle colours.’
Whatever colour of car you are driving, you will need valid Car Insurance.