What are the safest and riskiest car colors? There are many features and details about a car that you will consider carefully before buying a car. You will want to know about engine size, fuel efficiency, options and accessories, comfort, appearance and style. Regardless of how you decide what color you want your car to be, you should know which colors are safest and which are riskiest in terms of being involved in a car crash.

Colors with Highest Accident Risk

The colors with the highest accident risk tend to blend with the road or surroundings.

1. Black cars have the highest risk of being in an accident. One study (Money Super Market) claimed that black cars are 47% more likely to be involved in an auto accident. Another study found that black vehicles are 12% more likely to be involved in a car crash. Black cars are the most difficult to see. They easily blend into their surroundings (particularly asphalt) and are not seen by other drivers.
2. Gray is the second-most dangerous color. The accident risk for gray cars is 11% greater than the safest car color.
3. Despite being the most popular car color, silver cars (Kelley Blue Book) are 10% more likely to be involved in a crash than the safest color. Like black and gray, silver cars tend to blend into their surroundings.
4. Blue cars are involved in crashes 7% more often than cars of the safest colors. Dark blue can blend in with surroundings; light blue can blend in with the sky.
5. Red vehicles are also 7% more likely to be in a crash than the safest car colors. Many believe that red vehicles tend to be overlooked because of the road and safety signs, traffic lights, and brake lights.
6. Green vehicles often blend in with the roadside landscape and with many road signs. Green cars are safer than the other dangerous colors, but more dangerous than the safest colors.

Colors with the Lowest Accident Risk

These colors tend to stand out from the road and from the surroundings.

1. White. White vehicles have a 12% lower risk of being in a crash than black vehicles. This is true in all lighting and weather conditions. White vehicles stand out from both surroundings and other cars.
2. Like white, yellow cars tend to stand out from their surroundings. One study ranked yellow cars as safer than white cars.
3. Orange stands out, as well, from its surroundings. In addition, the low usage of orange for vehicles also makes them stand out.
4. Gold is another uncommon car color. Gold stands out against other colors.

Car Color and Crash Injury

A car crash study conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, evaluated any possible connections between car color and crash injuries. A lower risk of serious injury was found in silver cars compared to white vehicles. There was a significant increased risk of serious injury in brown vehicles. There was a higher risk of injury in black and green cars. Yellow, gray, red, and blue cars were essentially similar to white cars.

Call Altizer Law, P.C.

Many factors contribute to auto accidents. Most of these factors are related to weather, road condition, and driver behavior. However, the visibility of a car is another important factor in some crashes.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident or an accident involving a truck or motorcycle, through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your hurts and harms. For more than 30 years, Bettina Altizer and her team have been helping people to recover the largest amount of compensation permitted under Virginia law. When you are hurt and you need to recover and rebuild your life, we understand that it’s about the money.

Sources:

Kelley Blue Book

Monash University’s Accident Research Centre (Australia).

Auckland color study may be found at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC300804.