Thoughts on vehicle color and crash risk?

[LearningMachine]

Has anyone looked into how much impact vehicle color has on risk of crash? 

 

Monash University in Australia looked at the data and found that White significantly decreases probability of crash depending on type of vehicle. 

 

For example, a low-visibility vehicle like a Black 4WD in dark is 53% more likely to be involved in a crash than a White 4WD.  During the day, Black 4WD is 24% more likely compared to White 4WD.

 

See An Investigation into the Relationship between Vehicle Colour and Crash Risk (monash.edu)

 

There was another study published in British Medical Journal in 2003 that the Monash study references as well, but the BMJ study is not as thorough, covers much much smaller data-set, and doesn't distinguish between vehicle types and time of day, etc. 

 

Any thoughts?  Wonder if insurance rates take this account for some auto insurers? 

Edited September 2, 2022 by LearningMachine

[Viking]

21 minutes ago, LearningMachine said:

Has anyone looked into how much impact vehicle color has on risk of crash? 

 

Monash University in Australia looked at the data and found that White significantly decreases probability of crash depending on type of vehicle. 

 

For example, a low-visibility vehicle like a Black 4WD in dark is 53% more likely to be involved in a crash than a White 4WD.  During the day, Black 4WD is 24% more likely compared to White 4WD.

 

See An Investigation into the Relationship between Vehicle Colour and Crash Risk (monash.edu)

 

There was another study published in British Medical Journal in 2003 that the Monash study references as well, but the BMJ study is not as thorough, covers much much smaller data-set, and doesn't distinguish between vehicle types and time of day, etc. 

 

Any thoughts?  Wonder if insurance rates take this account for some auto insurers? 

Makes sense. But living in Canada i have always questioned why anyone would want to own a white vehicle in the parts of the country where the winters are bad. So my guess, is the ‘best’ colours will vary somewhat by geography. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Viking

[gfp]

There is a reason the school bus is the color it is.  This is not groundbreaking research

[ICUMD]

2 hours ago, gfp said:

There is a reason the school bus is the color it is.  This is not groundbreaking research

This used to be my car.  

Wasn't my style,  but the price was right. 

I later learned to love the color- never lost it in a parking lot. 

 

Really stood out against a sea of black blue and white. 

 

Was never in a crash. 

Repair bills were a pain tho.

 

[crs223]

Could just be correlation without causation.  Boring people buy white cars — like me!

 

Wonder what is the crash rate for this color:

 

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by crs223

[fareastwarriors]

I drive red cars because it's good luck! 

[Gregmal]

4 minutes ago, fareastwarriors said:

I drive red cars because it's good luck! 

I remember in high school they said red cars were the highest to insure. Good luck my friend.

[gfp]

Yeah they always used to say that hot blond girls in red cars got pulled over most often.  Not sure if that is still a thing.  Do people still get pulled over in 2022?

 

I remember many years ago it cost me a bunch more to insure a Land Rover defender because of the damage they felt it would do to the other vehicle in a crash.  Or at least that's what someone at USAA told me.  Now everyone in the U.S. is driving around in huge full size trucks and SUVs so it probably isn't a factor.

 

My elderly mother has had more accidents with grey and charcoal colored cars so she stopped buying that color.

[Spekulatius]

1 hour ago, gfp said:

Yeah they always used to say that hot blond girls in red cars got pulled over most often.  Not sure if that is still a thing.  Do people still get pulled over in 2022?

 

I remember many years ago it cost me a bunch more to insure a Land Rover defender because of the damage they felt it would do to the other vehicle in a crash.  Or at least that's what someone at USAA told me.  Now everyone in the U.S. is driving around in huge full size trucks and SUVs so it probably isn't a factor.

 

My elderly mother has had more accidents with grey and charcoal colored cars so she stopped buying that color.

People do get pulled over, mostly for speeding. The type of car matters much more than the color. If you drive a souped up rice racer with low suspension and dark window tints, expect to get pulled over more than driving a minivan.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Spekulatius

[LearningMachine]

19 hours ago, gfp said:

There is a reason the school bus is the color it is.  This is not groundbreaking research

Makes sense @gfp.

 

Makes sense why lane markings are also white and yellow. If they were gray, black or another low-visibility color, drivers would probably run over them more too.

[maxthetrade]

I'm currently driving a white car, main advantage is that it stays pretty cool during summer. My last car was black and it was kinda uncomfortable in summer.

[Gamecock-YT]

On 9/3/2022 at 5:08 AM, LearningMachine said:

 

 

Any thoughts?  

 

Some people have too much time on their hands

[3259]

I’ve been told by an automotive engineer with experience in this area that white paint tends to be the most stable pigment and tends to wear better than other colors as well.