Crash risk and the colour of your car
Posted on September 24, 2007 by NRMA Policy Team
The notion that there is a relationship between car colour and crash risk may initially sound ridiculous, equivalent to the belief that red cars go faster. Nor is it likely that many people in the market for a new car would have ‘colour’ amongst airbags and electronic stability programs on their list of desired safety features.
Yet when light conditions are taken into consideration, there is a clear statistical relationship between a vehicle’s colour and its crash risk, as detailed in a recent report by Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). Compared to white, colours such as black, blue, grey and others ranking lower on the visibility index were associated with higher crash risk in daylight hours.
MUARC’s research also suggests crash severity is linked to vehicle colour, with “low visibility colours having higher risks of more severe crashes.”
Previous studies
A study in Epidemiology from 2002 found white and yellow cars had a slightly lower risk of being passively involved in a crash. This was followed by a study published in BMJ (British Medical Journal) in 2003 concluding that silver cars were 50% less likely than white cars to be involved in a crash resulting in serious injury. The association between silver and reduced risk continued even when confounding factors were adjusted.
Both these studies, according to MUARC, were inconclusive. These two studies, as well as prior ones, left the role of colour in influencing crash risk as being uncertain, prompting MUARC to undertake a more in-depth study.
The MUARC study
NRMA Motoring & Services’ vehicle specialist Jack Haley said the MUARC study was arguably the most comprehensive to probe the link between vehicle colour and crash risk.
“Previous international studies have examined vehicle visibility and colour but have not fully taken into account other factors that may have an impact on crash risk, such as driver demographics,” Mr Haley said.
Using crash data from Victoria and Western Australia, MUARC used the colour classifications black, blue, brown cream, fawn, gold, green, grey, maroon, white mauve, orange, pink, purple, red, silver and yellow, with all variables considered under the nearest category. Also included in the study were conditions such as light at the time of the crash, vehicle type, crash severity and state. Commercial vehicles and taxis were excluded.
Results
The result compared white vehicles with all other coloured vehicles. MUARC’s research showed there were a number of colours related to high risk, including:
Black
Blue
Grey
Green
Red
Silver
None of the colours tested were statistically safer than white, though some had equal relative crash risk.
The association between colour and crash risk was highest during daylight hours, the risk associated with the above colours during this period up by 10%. The link was reduced during darker driving hours due to colour being less distinguishable and headlights further reducing colour’s effects. Results also showed that environmental factors had an impact on the relationship between colour and crash risk.
Of the study, Dr Soames Job of the RTA’s NSW Centre for Road Safety said the results were useful but other factors were more influential on crash risk and for drivers to be aware of this.
“Driving a darker coloured car can increase your crash risk,” Dr Job said, “but that is nowhere near as influential a factor as your driving behaviour. By driving within the speed limit, not driving after drinking and avoiding driving when tired, you increase your safety on the road.”
Is colour something you’ve taken into consideration when buying a car? Are there any colours you have difficulty seeing in certain conditions?
评论
我依然相信明黄色才是最安全的颜色。
其次才到白色银色。
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修路工人和路边警察的马甲的颜色最安全
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当然是白色
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以为是红色
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白色，银色还是很安全的。
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颜色深的可能真的安全
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迷彩色最不安全。
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迷彩的目的就是要隐身
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白色
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highway patrol
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黑色车的确不好看到，经常不注意就发现一部串出来，白色好
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天色暗的时候 黑色车很难看到
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我一項討厭黑色的
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还好买个白的
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看看警车和出租车是什么颜色就知道啦
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我也觉得白色是最安全的颜色
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不错
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白色
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我的也是黑车，不过很少晚上出去开。
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不知道有没有人弄过嫩骚粉或者紫晶蓝之类的颜色
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看看咱们马路上跑的警车救护车和的士就知道了
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白色。看过技术分析，浅色的颜色扩张，让人感觉大些，深色黑色的颜色缩小，让人感觉车小些，而且晚上或者光线不明朗，也是白色容易被看见，所以白色车最安全
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有一次晚上过环岛,一部黑车不打头灯也不打转向灯就这样快速过岛,幸亏被余光扫到。不然就是咣当。
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铁定是白色，不管专家再做什么研究也改变不了白色是最安全的事实。
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黄色。
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