In research that is sure to spark correlation v causation debates, Monash University's Accident Research Centre (MUARC) has found certain colour cars to be safer, as reported by Norwich Union.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, MUARC found that black cars, one of the most popular car colours and second amongst UK buyers, had a 12 per cent higher likelihood of crashing than white vehicles.
Grey cars were similarly high, having an 11 per cent higher risk of crashing, with silver vehicles just one percentage point lower.
Silver colours are the most popular amongst UK buyers.
Blue and red also had higher chances of being involved in accidents than white, at seven per cent each.
More muted colours such as yellow, beige and cream were closer to white in safety, although the latter remained the safest of all car colours.
White also remains the least popular among UK buyers.
Although there have been previous studies on the effect of car colours, most failed to take in account other factors, such as driver demographics, said Dr Stuart Townsend, a research fellow at MUARC, to Norwich Union.
For Dr Townsend, the low contrast to the road environment that some colours provide is one of the reasons why colour choice can affect the safety of a vehicle.
Research was conducted by examining road crash data in Western Australia for the years between 1987 and 2004.
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