Car accidents happen for many reasons, including poor visibility, bad roads, and careless driving. Some drivers even try to shift the blame for the crashes they cause by claiming that the victim’s car color was difficult to see.
However, some research has established that there’s little evidence for a link between car color and crash risk in Charlotte, NC, or anywhere else. The skilled Charlotte car accident attorneys at Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers help accident victims keep the focus on the at-fault driver’s actions as they seek compensation for their losses. We have 32 years of experience and have recovered over $35 million in compensation.
With experienced legal help from Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers, you can protect your rights and hold the responsible party accountable. Contact us today at (704) 980-9999 for a free consultation.
How Chandler Volta Can Help After A Car Accident In Charlotte, NC
If someone else’s careless, impaired, or distracted driving injures you, our Charlotte car accident attorneys can provide the following legal services:
- Listening to your story and explaining your legal options
- Building your case using medical records, crash reports, and other evidence
- Negotiating with insurers to resolve your claim
- Taking the at-fault driver to court if their insurer refuses to settle
Insurance companies may point to other factors, including the color of your car, to try to avoid paying for your injury-related losses after a crash in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our Charlotte personal injury lawyers are prepared to counter these tactics and fight for maximum compensation on your behalf.
Contact Chandler Volta today to schedule a free consultation.
The Role Of Visibility In Charlotte Car Accidents
According to the city’s traffic accident statistics, Charlotte recorded 32,932 auto accidents in 2023. These crashes had many contributing factors, including excessive speed, inattention, and intoxication. However, environmental factors played only a small role in car accidents compared to human factors.
Glare, poor lighting, and heavy precipitation can reduce a driver’s visibility. However, drivers can take measures to overcome these problems, such as slowing down, increasing their following distance, or pulling over. Thus, even when a driver experiences poor visibility, their decision to continue driving may expose them to liability for any ensuing mishaps.
How Car Color Relates To Collision Risk
There’s no shortage of opinions about whether the color of your car makes you more likely to be in an accident.
Some believe bright colors like red or yellow attract aggressive drivers, making them riskier. Others argue that those same colors are actually safer because they stand out more on the road. Similarly, silver cars are sometimes said to cause glare that affects other drivers, while others claim their reflective qualities improve visibility.
Researchers have examined whether car color actually influences accident rates, but the evidence isn’t conclusive. Certain studies have suggested that lighter colors, such as white or yellow, may be linked to slightly fewer accidents, while darker colors like black or navy might be associated with a small increase in risk. However, other research hasn’t found any significant connection at all.
The bottom line is that there’s no strong agreement among professionals. While car color could play some role in visibility, factors like driver behavior, weather conditions, and traffic patterns almost certainly have a far greater impact on collision risk.
Scientists at the University of Dayton conducted a study in 2019 to reconcile two earlier studies that produced contradictory results. One study conducted in New Zealand found that silver vehicles had statistically lower crash risks than other colors. Another study in Australia found that silver was among the riskiest car colors.
The University of Dayton study reviewed hundreds of thousands of crash records, focusing on the vehicle found not at fault. In other words, unlike past studies, the researchers looked specifically at the color of the car that was hit to determine whether it was more difficult to see.
How Car Color Might Affect An Accident Claim In Charlotte
Instead of blaming car color generally, insurers are more likely to cite your vehicle’s color under narrow situations where it may have been less visible. For example, the at-fault driver’s insurer might assert that your silver car caused glare on a sunny day, or that your dark blue truck was difficult to see on a road without streetlights.
North Carolina follows a rule called contributory negligence, under which a crash victim loses the right to seek injury compensation if their negligence caused the crash. As such, insurers may use any defense, even ones that have little or no evidence to support them.
If an insurer denies a claim based on the color of the claimant’s car, the claimant’s attorney can file a lawsuit. During the process of litigation, the attorney can hire an expert witness to explain how car color doesn’t contribute to crash risk.
Moreover, the attorney can argue that even if the victim’s vehicle was difficult to see, the at-fault driver should have spotted it and modified their driving by slowing down and giving the victim more space.
Contact Our Charlotte Car Accident Lawyers For A Free Consultation
Attributing an accident to the color of a driver’s car is often a hollow defense. Contact Chandler Volta for a free consultation to discuss potential strategies for challenging this defense and holding the other driver responsible for your injuries. Our Charlotte car accident attorneys can answer your legal questions and walk you through the legal process.