A recent study in Singapore indicates riding a yellow taxi instead of one of any other color reduces one’s risk of being in an accident. Yellow taxis were found to have about six fewer crashes for every thousand taxis than blue or other-colored taxis. This is perhaps due to the greater visibility of the color.
The report was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and used speed monitoring data to rule out potential other causes of accidents, including the potential that safer drivers tended to favor yellow cars. Researchers compared data with the use of yellow in other types of vehicles, such as school buses.
There have been few other studies to show this sort of causal link between vehicle color and accident risk. The results, researchers say, show that color visibility should play a major role in determining the color of vehicles to be used for public transportation. A company or agency that decides to switch all taxis to yellow, for example, could drastically reduce economic losses and save many lives in the process.
Analyzing the study’s data
The study took information from 4,175 yellow taxis and 12,525 blue taxis operated by the Singapore company ComfortDelgro. Yellow taxis were involved in about 65.6 accidents per 1,000 taxis per month, versus 71.7 for blue taxis.
Based on this information, researchers estimate switching the color of all taxis to yellow would allow ComfortDelgro to save about $2 million a year in repair bills and lost revenue due to accidents. A spokesperson from the company said the company had been made aware of those findings, and that they found them “very interesting” and work a closer look.
There have been previous studies that have shown links between vehicle color and accident risk. For example, a 2003 study in New Zealand led to the conclusion that silver cars were half as likely as white cars to be involved in crashes causing serious injury. A 2002 study in Spain also concluded cars in light colors were at slightly lower risk of being involved in a collision where their driver was not at fault.
The results of the study are also worth considering for people who have the option of choosing which color cab they will ride in. If, for instance, a person knows a cab company has all yellow cabs, it might be wise to call that company instead and benefit from the inherent safety that the color visibility offers. Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider, including the safety record of the company and the driver.
If you’ve been involved in a serious crash and need to explore your legal options, contact a skilled New York taxi accident lawyer with the The Law Offices of Evan W. Kohn right away.