Popularity of Silver Cars Cause for Concern, Oz Study Says
By Alan Harman WardsAuto.com, Nov 15, 2007 1:17 PM

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A surge in the popularity of silver as a color choice for vehicles presents an increased crash risk on Australian roads, concludes a new study by the Monash Univesity Accident Research Center.

Silver vehicles have a 10% higher risk of crashing than white cars, the safest on the road in terms of color, the report reveals.

Black vehicles are the most likely to be involved in an accident, with a 12% higher crash risk than white cars.

But Researcher Stuart Newstead points to recent statistics that show silver makes up about one-third of all new-vehicles sold in Australia, while white comprises 20% and black, 10%.

Fashion, resale value and prestige are some of the factors driving silver’s popularity, the study says.

“It concerns me greatly that silver has now surpassed white as the most popular choice for new vehicles,” Newstead says. “The safest car color has now been replaced by one of the least safe.

“Even in good conditions, silver has low contrast with the road environment,” he says. “That lack of visibility is even worse in fading light or cloudy and wet conditions. Less visibility means less time for other drivers to react to an impending accident situation, which leads to more crashes and higher severity crashes for drivers of silver cars.”

Newstead says drivers of silver cars should consider installing or using daytime running lights or headlights to make their vehicles more visible.

“I hope that ultimately, safety will triumph over fashion and we will see more people selecting white as their car color.”