With so many makes models and colours of car available in the UK, it can be difficult to know where to start when looking for a new vehicle.
There are lots of statistics available from car insurance companies and the police regarding which vehicles are most likely to be involved in road traffic accidents.
These statistics aren’t a reflection of any mechanical or safety failings of the car themselves, but rather the findings of independent research, the police and car insurance companies in terms of the numbers of claims made by drivers of certain vehicles.
Below is a look at some of the cars which are most likely to be involved in accidents.
Car colour
There are some colours of car which are more likely to be involved in accidents than others. Whether this is down to the age and driving style of people who are attracted to certain colours isn’t clear, but your car insurance may be higher if you drive a black car. The statistics from a study of 850,000 car accidents in Australia* showed that black cars were the most dangerous with them being 12% more likely to be involved in an accident than white vehicles during daylight hours and 47% more likely at night fall.
Other car colours that are statistically more likely to be involved in prangs on the road are silver, grey, red and blue as they are apparently harder to spot against the backdrop of other traffic and any road side scenery.
Makes and models
If you own a Honda FR-V, you may be surprised to hear that statistically 20% of owners have made a claim on their car insurance.**
Other vehicles that made the top 10 most accident prone vehicles include the Volvo XC90, the Lexus RX, the Mazda 3 and the Mazda 5.
It’s important to remember there are a number of factors in any car accident and I’m not in any way suggesting these cars are unsafe.
However, car insurance companies provide quotes based on data and that means if you have a black Honda FR-V, statistically, you’re more likely to make a claim on your car insurance than if you own a white Fiat Cinquecento.
There are many different ways of interpreting these statistics, for example could it be that there are more black, silver, grey, red and blue cars on the roads than other colours, which raises the number of accidents?
If you’re a safe and responsible driver, your car insurance no claims discount will more than cover any negative impact of the colour or make of car you drive.
*source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1288457/Black-cars-likely-involved-accidents.html
**source: http://theinsuranceblogger.co.uk/most-crashed-cars/
Author Bio: The Co-operative Insurance provides competitive car insurance quotes online and offline to UK drivers. You could save money on your car insurance by requesting a quote from them when yours is due for renewal.
