There has long been talk of how the colour of a car could make it more likely to be involved in a car crash. Many people avoid red cars for this very reason and with some it may be black cars. Some of this can be attributed to superstition, but how much truth is there in these thoughts? The answer it seems may be more than you think.

Of course, in a practical sense the more visible a car the more likely it is to be seen. This doesn’t mean we should all drive round in illuminous yellow cars despite the fact it would be hard to miss them.

This is why researchers in Australia have recently carried out tests to determine the safest colour of car to drive. The results may surprise you; white it would seem is the safest colour and is recommended by the Women’s car insurance company Sheila’s wheels. Black cars carry a 12% higher crash risk in daylight than a white car. All other darker colours of car were shown to carry a higher risk than that of the white cars also.

The previously mentioned insurance company also stated that Women’s car insurance tends to be cheaper than that of their counterparts as men are more likely to have a higher speed collision resulting in more expensive repair work. As all insurance is a matter of risk assessment, men unfortunately carry a higher risk and are therefore more expensive to insure.

To be honest, no matter what colour car you drive, your safety in many circumstances comes down to your own driving skills. If you drive carefully and always take into account the safety of yourself and others on the road, you will be much less likely to be involved in an accident. There will always be those who unfortunately ruin things for everyone else as they drive dangerously, but until the law cracks down more heavily on these drivers there is little we can do.

Things you can do; Try to make you car as visible as possible, switch sidelights on in the rain and gloomy conditions. Use fog lights where necessary; be careful as inappropriate use could land you with a fine and points on your licence. Always check your blind spot when switching lanes, etc. Above all; drive carefully, adhere to the speed limits and be courteous to your fellow drivers and you may find the whole experience much less stressful and more enjoyable on the whole.

A prominent women’s car insurance company has recommended that white cars are safer to drive. This has been proven in an Australian study. Making your car more visible and driving more carefully will help you to avoid a car insurance claim.