This Car Color Involved In The Most Accidents In Minnesota

Did you know that the color of your vehicle can contribute to the likelihood of you being in a crash? I know it sounds crazy, but vehicle colors actually make a difference. Of course, you can always improve your odds of safety by making sure you drive under the speed limit and have your lights on in adverse weather. Maybe when you are picking out your next vehicle, consider one of the colors involved in the fewest crashes.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation keeps statistics on crashes using all type of criteria. They track the time of day, the season, the road conditions, driver impairment, age of passengers, and so on. Really, they cover it all.

I was scrolling through the statistics and found a section I never even considered: crashes by vehicle color. Huh. Really?

Minnesota's most current traffic data is for 2023. 119,011 accidents occurred that year. Of those, 633 vehicles were involved in fatal crashes.

Black Vehicles Involved In Most Crashes

For passenger cars, trucks, or vans, the worst color for crashes is black, with 17.8% of crashes involving it. White vehicles came in 2nd with 15.7% of crashes, followed by gray, silver, blue, and red.

Is Visibility An Issue?

Black vehicles can be hard to see in low-light hours, like dawn and dusk. If a black vehicle doesn't have its lights on, it's nearly impossible to see. That's a contributing factor.

I own a gray truck that sometimes matches the color of the asphalt on some roads. There have been many times when someone hasn't seen me, just because my truck blends into the background.

It would make sense that red vehicles are involved in somewhat fewer crashes. The bright color is more noticeable than the others.

Most Popular Colors Of Cars

It makes sense that all of the cars that are high on the list of crashes are also popular colors. Let's face it, you don't see many gold or purple cars driving around. Take a look at the data yourself and see what you think!