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You’re a safe, considerate and skilful driver so you’ll never be involved in a collision, right? – wrong! There are so many unsafe, inconsiderate and unskilled drivers on our roads that inevitably someone is going to crash into you and there’s nothing you can do to reduce that probability, right – wrong!

It is estimated that the ‘total cost’ of collision repairs (direct cost, time, and lost productivity) can amount to almost half the annual operating expenses for a vehicle, leased or owned. So whether your fleet size is one or one thousand, collision avoidance is worth thinking about. The most effective tool for reducing the probability of your vehicle being hit is visibility, whether in a car park, at an intersection, or on the open road. There are two main elements to vehicle visibility – lighting and colour.

Lights
A recent LTSA study indicated that in a five year period over 440 injury crashes and 35 fatal crashes were attributed to vehicle lights. This includes faulty or inadequate lights, inappropriate use, and excessive lights.

There is compelling evidence that the use of Daytime Running Lamps (DRL’s) significantly improves vehicle visibility. DRL’s are fitted to the front of a vehicle and make it more conspicuous during daylight, however, they are NOT designed for night use due to excessive glare for other drivers.

DRL’s have been mandated in Canada and all Scandinavia countries and research indicates that their use has reduced collisions by over 35%. This claim appears consistent with another accident analysis study into collision causes which found that over 50% of at fault drivers simply failed to see the other vehicle. This provides a fairly definitive endorsement for the use of DRL’s and the logic is consistent with motor cycle legislation in regard to mandatory headlight illumination including daylight hours.

Other lighting enhancement options include fog lamps: These can be fitted to both the front and rear of a vehicle, but should only be used in severely reduced visibility conditions like snow or fog. Fog lamps provide a wide beam designed to shine underneath the fog and should NOT be used in clear weather due to the ‘dazzle’ effect on other drivers.

Colour
Obviously certain colours provide higher visibility than others – look no further than the rescue services for the evidence – red, orange, fluorescents and reflectives clearly enhance visibility. Somewhat more surprisingly, white is also highly visible in most weather conditions and environments including night driving, while greys and silvers are some of the least visible particularly in poor weather. Generally, darker colours are also less visible at night and therefore considered less safe. However, context is everything, and obviously a white car will produce no contrast against a snowy background. Likewise, red cars can appear black at night and in addition, peripheral vision of red tones is reduced.

There are a number of considerations therefore in assessing the ‘safety’ value of vehicle colour, however, in all cases the use of additional reflective fittings is extremely effective.