Color Coded: Choosing A Car Color That’s Safe

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

From the good ole’ days of Hollywood discerning between the good guys wearing white and bad boys wearing black, color has held a major significance in conveying a message. In fact I can remember a time when “good” girls simply didn’t wear red pumps (or any red shoes for that matter, red or (hot pink) lipstick and when red cars were noted for being notorious for higher insurance rates and greater incidence of drawing attention to themselves, subsequently getting pulled over more often.

Now, new studies show that color may be associated with safety. According to research, the color car you (choose) to drive not only discloses facets of your personality, but also may keep you out of “trouble”. In fact, silver vehicles were noted for being 50 percent less likely to be involved in serious accidents, especially those resulting in (serious) injury, particularly when compared to their “white” counterparts.

Studies further show that the least safe hues are brown, black, and green. White, yellow, gray, red, and blue cars were rated as being “middle of the road” when it comes to safety. (at least as far as accidents are concerned) And, they note that there are nearly 3,000 automobile fatalities per year.

Those conducting the study examined various factors (that may influence driving) besides vehicle color, including road conditions, age of the driver, gender, educational level, and whether or not the driver had used drug or alcohol, and whether he or she was wearing a seat belt; and still, vehicle color seemed to have a significant impact.

While the exact reason for these finding is not (yet) known, experts speculate that silver, a relatively light shade, tends to be reflective and may make cars more visible and noticeable on the roadways. They even suggest that increasing the number of silver cars (on the road) may be a passive approach to minimizing accidents, injuries and fatalities from car crashes.

Statistics show that silver was among the most popular color (for cars last year) in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Long Island Safety Articles > Color Coded: Choosing A Car Color That’s Safe