Safest Car Color?

[Robert YellowVette]

Occasionally you see some discussion of which car colors are less likely to be hit [presumably to high visibility under all light condtions] and which cars are likely to be ticketed by cops, red and black being nominated most often by popular 'wisdom'...

Doing some research showed there is very little data in the scientific world and it seems the insurance companies publicly maintain color doesn't matter.

http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/CarColorAndSafety.pdf

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7429/1455

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/fascinating-facts/safe-vehicle-colours.html

Any LEO's or car insurance insiders here with anything in their experience as to what colors to avoid for tickets or select for safety?

I drive a 2003 MY Z06 and that car can be seen for miles... =;-] When driving cross-country from Khaleefohnia to Jacksonville, I passed another MY Z06 on I-10 and periodically checked him in my mirrors, we were on a slight upgrade for a couple of miles and even more than a mile back I could still see a tiny yellow dot although I could not have identified the type if I hadn't already seen him close up.

 

[MM-C5]

Judging by the number of blue haired old ladies that routinely pull out in front of me, Dark Bowling Green Metallic is apparently a Stealth Color. Hopefully it will stay below the radar too!

Tom

 

[Robert YellowVette]

Judging by the number of blue haired old ladies that routinely pull out in front of me, Dark Bowling Green Metallic is apparently a Stealth Color.

They were pressing frantically on the 'brake' pedal but hit the throttle instead...

Cops will tell you that the #1 reason drivers give for a crash is, 'I never saw the other car' and #2 is, 'I had the right of way...'

 

[MM-C5]

Cops will tell you that the #1 reason drivers give for a crash is, 'I never saw the other car'

That is understandable! Trying to see through one's navel yields tunnel vision

T

 

[wishuwerehere82]

I know from experience that sky blue on a 79 Buick Electra is an invisible color on a sunny day. Despite all the chrome it blends right in with the sky and is guaranteed to have people pulling out in front of me all day.

 

[Ken]

All I know is that I've been in triple digits when I noticed the cop. Mine's silver; he never noticed me.

 

[Mickey]

Don't know but I believe the National Transportation Safety Board said just recently that yellow is the least likely to be stolen.

 

[Eric]

Seems as though greys and silvers dissapear at a distance when the road is really hot, thanks to the heat rising off of the highway. The downside is that they blend in when visibility is low too.

- Eric

 

[wishuwerehere82]

Seems as though greys and silvers dissapear at a distance when the road is really hot, thanks to the heat rising off of the highway. The downside is that they blend in when visibility is low too.

- Eric

What's the upside? Silver is really visible in the daylight, and at night.
http://www.wisegeek.com/is-there-a-link-between-car-color-and-accidents.htm

 

[TheSearcher]

Last weekend in a caravan to a car show I thought I saw a couple of MY Vettes coming from the other direction on the expressway. As I got closer I saw they were yellow sand barrels at the end of a bridge railing. By the way, I do like MY.

I pay no attention whatsoever to green and brown vehicles of any make or model. I am close to adding the light and dark pewter colors to this list.

White is a safe color in my opinion and you rarely see a white car stopped by cops unless there is a pretty girl driving. They really should restrain the sexual harassment; its too obvious.

Torch (bright) red and black seem to get a lot of attention, regardless of vehicle, but pink gets noticed by everyone.

 

[Mickey]

Several years ago a research study indicated that a funky lime green color was the most highly visible. You may remember that as a result of that report they started painting fire trucks that color. Didn't take too long for fireman to say "no way" and returned to the standard fire truck red. Some military fire trucks are still that lime green color.

 

[wishuwerehere82]

Lime Green and Flourescent Orange should only be used for fishing lures. And they don't work very well in that application either.:L

 

[Glenn W.]

From my experience....don't even take the Pewter color out at dusk....you know the time right before you turn on your headlights? I feel like I am invisible to other drivers at that point...you'd think as shiny as I keep it, they'd see it, but maybe that's part of the problem....everything reflects off of it and it disappears in all of the background reflections....that's it! I'll just let it stay muddy and dirty and all of my problems will be solved!!!

 

[Robert YellowVette]

Lime Green and Flourescent Orange should only be used for fishing lures. And they don't work very well in that application either.:L

Can fish see colors?

Red lures are my favorite, Red is the first color to go when submerged...

 

[Robert YellowVette]

Several years ago a research study indicated that a funky lime green color was the most highly visible. You may remember that as a result of that report they started painting fire trucks that color. Didn't take too long for fireman to say "no way" and returned to the standard fire truck red. Some military fire trucks are still that lime green color.

Do lowly firemen at the bottom of the county totem pole have much say in a safety and visibility issue such as color of firetrucks? What are they going to do, quit and get a McJob at Mickey D's?

Can they decide not to use the siren on calls because it is too noisy in the cabin?

 

[65-to-00]

color

Chrome yellow was selected a long time ago as the #1 safest color. All of the DOT vehicles and power company trucks were of varied shades of this in the 60's (most still are).

White stands out, I know, trying to do surveillance on a site in our government issue white econo Chevies is absurd. We get spotted 99% of the time. On a snow day however white is not the color for the "see and avoid"game.

Green may not be bad in the winter but I call it "summer camo", you are going to blend in with the shrubbery ... ya' think granny is going to notice?.

Silver on a foggy day??

Running full lighting like the old bike guys is probably the best hedge but the pop up lamps kinda make that ... ugly????

 

[PLRX]

All I know is that I've been in triple digits when I noticed the cop. Mine's silver; he never noticed me.

Funny, I have done some emergency braking for gray cars, you sound very accurate.

 

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

I didn't get a Torch Red Z06 to "blend in" with the traffic! It attracts plenty of attention from motorists and pedesttians alike. But, I really don't feel like I get any undue attention from the LEOs. No stops, no tickets in 2+ years. The same with the red 69 big block I had for 7 years before the Z.

Maybe I just have good karma...

 

[mqqn]

Hi Robert -

The color most often involved in accidents would statistically be the most popular in sales - likely red IMO.

The color of a vehicle does not (IMO) lead to a propensity for making contact withy other vehicles or stationary objects IMO, nor would it make it more attractive to others intent on hitting something.

That said, I think the safest color combo is black with white doors.....

best regards -

mqqn

 

[Patrick]

The color most often involved in accidents would statistically be the most popular in sales - likely red IMO.

This is an interesting point- I remember back in the late '80s and early '90s, there was a rumor that a policy was held by some insurance companies that a red sports car had a higher premium than the same sports car in another color.

Color theory, again. Red (to a western mindset) is an energizing, "hot" color. It attracts attention- so you can see why a rumor that red sports cars were more expensive to ensure than other colors could be easily believed.

-Patrick