If you asked anyone what color of car is likely to be involved in the most accidents they will generally come back with red – there’s something dangerous about red, it’s exotic, sporty and exciting. Lots of fast and expensive sports cars are red and the drivers are thought to be more reckless than the drivers who choose the more “boring” colors of green, brown, black or white. So that’s the end of their scientific reasoning – red cars attract crazier drivers and are therefore involved in more accidents.

But is this true? Is it really as simple as that? Is there any proof that red cars are involved in more road accidents than other colors of car? To be honest it completely misses the mark and is wholly untrue – black cars, however tell a different tale completely.

According to some recent reports it would appear that black cars are around 50% more accident prone than other colors and most likely to be involved in a road traffic accident. This study took 20 years to complete and looked at a total of more than 850,000 accidents during that time. Black cars are definitely the most accident prone, the most dangerous color of all. The safest colored vehicles, rather unsurprisingly, is white, yellow and gold.

So what’s the story? Are there just more black cars on the road (and less yellow and gold ones) which lead to the exaggerated figures? Apparently there is some scientific evidence to back up the theories.

The problem with black cars is the visibility . . . or lack of visibility to be closer to the truth. Black cars really don’t stand out well against black roads, other traffic and back ground scenery which is the major reason why they are not so safe as cars of other, brighter and more visible colors. It’s not just in the dark that black cars are more dangerous either although they are slightly less dangerous during the daytime.

During the daylight black cars are around 12% more likely to be involved in an accident, the likelihood soaring when darkness falls.

Other cars which have poor visibility and are therefore more accident prone include grey, blue, silver and red.

So what does this really mean? Does it mean that anyone in the market for a new car at somewhere like Ford Fontana should steer clear of the black, silver, grey, blue and red cars and that the white, yellow and gold cars should sell like hot cakes? Should drivers of black cars be unduly worried and look for a swap at Fairview Ford? Can drivers of black cars reasonably expect to pay higher insurance premiums just because their motor is statistically more likely to be involved in an accident?

At the end of the day the message is not to panic. Although these statistics paint a rather surprising picture there are many other factors which have a much bigger impact on the likelihood of being involved in a motor accident. If you love your black car then there really is no reason to get rid of it or book it in for a paint job.

More important factors include speeding, drink under the influence of alcohol, driving without proper care, texting while driving or speaking on a mobile phone. If you are a careful driver who always adheres to the rules of the road it really shouldn’t matter what color car you choose to drive.

One other thing – drivers of black cars should be extra careful to ensure that their headlights are in good working order at all times to increase their visibility.