Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Fascinating Facts And Tantalizing Trivia

A Hartson Dowd Column

Oct 16, 2006

What Does Your Car Color Say About Your Personality?

Do people with red cars really get more speeding tickets than those with blue cars? Do car insurance companies use the color of your car to determine your rates? Do certain colors increase your chance of an accident? What does the color of your car SAY about your personality?

How Fast IS That Red Car?
According to the Web site Colormatters.com there may be some truth the urban legends surrounding car color and speeding tickets … at least anecdotally.

Visitors to that site say that when they drive red cars they seem to get more speeding tickets. Although there seems to be no official statistics kept for such things, and the police aren’t talking about it, the stories reinforce the urban legend that many have heard.

In general, driving the speed limit is usually a good idea no matter what color car you drive. If you keep your red car at or near the limit, the chances you will get a ticket are much smaller. In fact, they are probably exactly the same as the guy next to you driving the speed limit in his purple car.

Color and Personality
In Great Britain there was actually some research done that suggested that the colour (they really like that spelling for some reason) of your car says something about your personality type. And accordingly, based on your personality type, your likeliness to be involved in an accident (in the U.K. at least). That research showed that black cars are twice as likely to be involved in crashes as cream-color cars. Whether this is true in the United States is unclear.

Here is what it said about certain car colors (listed in order of most dangerous to least)*

Black cars denote an aggressive personality or someone who's an outsider or rebel.
Silver cars indicate someone who's cool, calm and slightly aloof.
Green cars can often be chosen by people with hysterical tendencies.
Yellow cars signify someone who is idealistic and novelty loving.
Blue cars are chosen by the more introspective, reflective and cautious driver.
Gray cars represent those who are calm, sober and dedicated to their work.
Red cars denote those who are full of zest, energy and drive and who think, move and talk quickly.
Pink cars are chosen by gentle, loving and affectionate drivers.
White cars represent status-seeking extrovert drivers.
Cream cars are the least likely to be involved in accidents and denote self-contained and controlled owners.

The Color of Money
What about the car insurance rates question? Does your car insurance company use color to determine your premium? The answer is … no.

Some people have suggested that insurers use the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to determine the car color and use that information, in part, to set the rate for each car. But the fact is that car color is not one of the details encoded into a VIN number. So technically, unless they ASK you the color of your car when you buy your car insurance policy, they really have no idea what color it is. And thus has no affect on your rate.

Additionally, according to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times in 2005, despite the mistaken belief by 25 percent of drivers that color affects your car insurance rates, it really has no effect on your insurance at all. Factors like year, make, model, body type (of the car, not YOU) and engine size are taken into consideration along with the driver’s personal information.

So, if you want that little red sports car, go right ahead and get it. Does it mean you are full of zest, energy and drive and think, move and talk quickly? Only you can answer that.

The fact is, if you keep the speed of that little red number somewhere around the posted limit, stop at red lights, yield to oncoming traffic, and make your cell phone calls when you are stopped, you will probably do a lot more for your car insurance rates than any color ever could.

For more on car insurance savings see our 10+ Tips to Help You Save on Car Insurance article.

Prevent Your Car from Being Stolen:

Do you want to keep your car from being stolen? A longtime highway patrol officer indicates that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to protecting your vehicle from thieves.

Make your "car inconvenient to thieves," advises Kevin Kelly, traffic safety specialist for the California State Automobile Association and a 25-year veteran with the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

For starters, Kelly urges motorists to "lock your cars and take your keys" ... and for good reason. "Car theft is a real crime of opportunity," contends Kelly. "When the bad guys see an easy mark, they'll take it."

Kelly points out that car thieves usually are in a big rush and they prefer not to be too obvious. That also applies to unsavory characters that might break into your car to steal the radio and other contents.

Kelly offers various other tips designed to head off car thieves.

• Close car windows and the sunroof when parking your car.
• Don't leave a spare car key in the vehicle, because, Kelly warns, car thieves "know where to look."
• Keep in your possession your vehicle registration, proof of insurance, etc. "Your vehicle pink slip should be kept wherever you keep your valuable papers - (and) not in your wallet."
• Leave nothing with your name and address, social security number or other personal information in your vehicle.
• Make photocopies of vehicle registration, proof of insurance and other important information for other drivers in your immediate family to carry.
• Don't leave your car with the motor running. A car left unattended and with the motor running is an open invitation to a thief. "Sometimes people on a cold morning warm up the car then race back inside to gather their belongings for work, then come out and find there vehicle is gone."
• Your car is safer in your driveway than on the street; but it's even safer in a locked garage.
• Park your vehicle on a well-lighted street and in well-traveled place if possible.
• Turn car wheels sharply toward or away from the curb and set the brake.
• Leave your car parked in first gear or in reverse if your car has a manual transmission. Use the parking gear if you have an automatic transmission.
• Don't tempt thieves by leaving items in plain sight on car seats or on the floor.
• Burglar alarms and steering wheel locks, such as The Club, may help keep out thieves.

Kelly speaks from personal experience about the value of car alarms and steering wheel locks. "A lot of people ignore car alarms. However, I caught a couple of thefts in progress, said Kelly who revealed what attracted his attention. "I heard the alarm go off momentarily, then suddenly stop when the wires were disconnected. Car thieves don't like noise. Devices like The Club are useful, and I have one in my (company) van.

"You have a better chance of not having your vehicle stolen if it isn't one of the vehicles that are very popular with auto thieves," notes Kelly. However, he warns that you're not entirely safe from vehicle theft even if you drive an old, beat-up car. "Having a crummy car is no protection (because) thieves may steal a car only for its parts."

If your automobile gets stolen, Kelly recommends that you report the incident quickly. "Don't wait around on that. The more information you supply to law enforcement, the better."

Kelly believes that auto theft victims should report a vehicle's make, model, and year; license number; vehicle identification number (VIN); tire brands and their serial numbers; special equipment such as a sunroof; and identifying marks including dents and bumper stickers.

Please note that this description/explanation is intended only as a guideline.

Hartson Sager Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net