Color matters a great deal to some people when buying a car. They will pay more for a particular shade or ignore a good-conditioned, well-priced used car because they dislike the color.
Yet few choose the color based on safety. It’s more to do with visual pleasure or the impression they want to give off.
It might seem ludicrous to suggest that the color of a car can affect its safety. After all, the difference between one color and another of the same model comes down to the people in the factory choosing a different can of paint to spray it with. Yet research has shown that you are less likely to crash in certain colors of cars than others.
White is the safest color
One study used white, the safest color as the baseline. It then ranked the other colors according to how much more likely you are to have a crash if driving a car in that color than white.
Black vehicles were 12% more likely to crash than white ones. Gray followed at 11%, silver at 10% and blue at 7%.
How can paint color affect safety?
It is about contrast rather than color. A vehicle that stands out against the surroundings is easier to spot. One that blends in is harder to spot. If someone can see you well in advance pulling out of a junction or turning across an intersection, they are less likely to plow straight into you than if they don’t see you till the last minute.
Showing you were visible might also increase your chances of securing the compensation you need in a crash that was not your fault.