Silver is not safe

An Australian researcher has warned that the surge in popularity of silver vehicles presents an increased crash risk on Australian roads.

Dr Stuart Newstead from Monash University's Accident Research Centre researcher is the author of the recent Vehicle Colour Study, which found that white is the safest car colour.

The study found that black cars are most likely to be involved in an accident, with a 12 percent higher crash risk than white vehicles, but Dr Newstead believes the study's finding that silver cars had a ten percent higher crash risk than white should be of concern given the high sales volume of silver vehicles in Australia.

Recent statistics show that silver makes up around a third of new vehicles sold in Australia, with white at 20 percent and black at ten percent. It is reported that fashion, asset protection (re-sale value), and prestige are some of the factors driving the silver surge.