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Car Color & Crash Risk

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Car Color & Crash Risk - Article written by Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers

You have probably heard that some car colors are safer than others. Research has proven that some car colors are more likely to get into a car accident.

Scientists do not fully understand the reasons for these differences. They probably relate to visibility. But driver behavior and the kinds of drivers who buy each car color could also contribute to some differences in risk.

Here is an overview of the studies about the connection between crash risk and car color and what it may mean to you in Miami-Dade County.

How Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident in Miami

How Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident in Miami

Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers is one of Miami’s most experienced personal injury law firms. Together, the firm’s lawyers have over 100 years of legal experience. We have won over $100 million in compensation for accident victims.

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When you need a lawyer by your side after a car accident, contact or call Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers at (305) 937-0191 for a free consultation.

No one knows the role car color plays in car accidents. Studies can count the number of cars of each color that have crashed. But correlation does not necessarily mean causation. Many of those accidents would have happened regardless of the car’s color.

In a study by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the agency found that 41% of crashes happen due to recognition errors. Recognition errors include inadequate surveillance, distracted driving, and inattention. 

This percentage translates to about 845,000 crashes across the U.S. every year, where car color may play a role.

The top two reasons for car crashes in Florida include reckless or careless driving and failure to yield the right-of-way. These types of accidents account for over 1,100 deaths and nearly 112,000 injuries every year in Florida.

The other car’s color could play a role in these types of accidents. A driver might appear to exercise less caution if the driver fails to see the other car.

Overview of Car Color and Crash Risk

Scientific studies show a statistically significant disparity in crashes depending on the color of the car. This means that the difference likely has an explanation other than random chance.

What Colors Affect Crash Risk?

White and silver cars tend to have a lower risk of car accidents, with silver having the lowest risk. Black, brown, and green cars tend to have a higher risk of car accidents. Yellow, gray, red, and blue cars tend to have roughly the same risks as white cars.

Several wrinkles accompany these results. First, different studies have different results. In some studies, silver cars do especially poorly, while in other studies, they outperform the other colors.

Second, these studies only look at car colors and don’t examine the cause of the accident, as identified by the police, insurers, or drivers.

Third, none of these studies attempt to prove why the differences exist. Instead, they theorize about contrast and relative visibility.

Why Might Car Color Cause Car Crashes?

The prevailing theory tying car color to crash risk relies on visibility. The theory holds that white and silver cars have a lower crash risk because they have a higher contrast with the road. As a result, drivers have an easier time seeing them.

Black, green, and brown cars have less contrast with road surfaces. As a result, drivers have a harder time judging the distance and speed of those vehicles.

A related theory arises from the idea of apparent size. Just as dark-colored clothes make you look smaller, dark cars may look smaller to other drivers. They tend to exercise less caution because they assume the car is smaller, further away, or slower than it is.

White cars look bigger. They appear to be closer, larger, and faster than they are. As a result, drivers exercise greater caution around them.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Miami Car Crash Lawyers

When you get injured in an accident, the insurer for the at-fault driver will try to shift the blame to you. But the mere color of your car will probably not prove that your actions contributed to the accident. To discuss your car accident and the role car color may or may not play in your injury claim, contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.

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