Background Car Color and Safety

A frequently asked question of Foundation staff is "What is the safest car color?" Psychological studies show that color has an effect on behavior, and there are other studies about color and conspicuity, but there are very few studies examining the impact of car color on crash rates. "Colors can create conditions that can cause fatigue, increase stress, decrease visual perception, damage eyesight, increase possible worker errors, and negatively affect orientation and safety" (www.colormatters.com). Studies examining traditional color psychology find blue is relaxing and red increases heart rate and blood pressure. Color affects mood and people make purchasing decisions based on color. However, it seems unlikely that a person who dislikes the color orange, for example, would purposely crash into an orange vehicle. General studies have also been done to show the most visible colors for day and night; however, there are no studies directly addressing the relationship between car color (conspicuity) and crashes among passenger vehicles. The study below discusses colors for fire fighting equipment, and presumably it would have some relevance for passenger cars too: It is noted that the color red, used for fire fighting equipment, is one of the least visible of vehicle colors. Optometrists note that, for its high visibility, lime yellow should be used by fire and rescue teams, as well as favored by trucks and car buyers. Lime yellow falls in the middle of the color spectrum (Schuman 1991). Several Web sites focus on color and solicit opinions; as one might expect, the general public has many theories on color psychology. One Web site, Color Matters (www.colormatters.com), discusses the effect that color has on the mind and body. Visitors can pose questions and leave comments: I once owned a 1980 "sand-beige" ford escort [sic]… In the 4 years that I owned the car, it was hit 11 times. Each time it was either completely stopped at a light, stop sign or parked. Apparently, this is a hard color to see, particularly on sunny days. Now, I drive a black VW and have not been in an accident in 5 years. And: My mother owned a silver-gray car. We noticed a significant number of near collisions on foggy morning and dusky evening hours. The silver seems to blend in with the road. This type of speculation and frequent questions to Foundation staff underscore the timeliness of this topic. Car buyers often ask, " What …