What color car gets less tickets?

The Myth of the Ticket-Dodging Car Color: Why Your Paint Job Doesn’t Matter

For years, a persistent myth has circulated among drivers: certain car colors are less likely to attract the attention of law enforcement, leading to fewer speeding tickets. Some swear by silver, claiming it blends in with the road. Others champion white, suggesting its association with innocence somehow transfers to traffic violations. But the truth is far simpler and significantly less colorful: your car’s paint job has absolutely no bearing on whether you receive a speeding ticket.

The idea that a specific color provides a “free pass” from law enforcement is a classic example of anecdotal evidence trumping empirical data. While someone might recall a silver car zipping past them without consequence, they likely haven’t meticulously tracked every car on the road, noting their color and whether they were pulled over. Such anecdotal observations are easily skewed by confirmation bias – we tend to remember instances that confirm our existing beliefs and disregard those that contradict them.

Numerous studies and analyses of traffic citation data have consistently debunked the color-ticket connection. Law enforcement officers are trained to detect speeding and other traffic violations, and their focus is primarily on vehicle speed and driver behavior, not aesthetics. Modern speed detection technology, such as radar guns and laser speed detectors, is completely unaffected by vehicle color. Ultimately, exceeding the speed limit, regardless of whether your car is fire engine red or muted beige, is the determining factor in receiving a ticket.

While some might argue that brightly colored cars are more noticeable, noticeability doesn’t equate to being ticketed. Visibility might even be beneficial in preventing accidents. However, if a brightly colored car is speeding, it’s just as likely to be pulled over as a less conspicuous vehicle traveling at the same excessive speed.

So, if you’re considering a new car and hoping to minimize your chances of receiving speeding tickets, focus on factors you can control: obey the speed limit, drive attentively, and maintain your vehicle in good working order. Don’t fall for the myth of the ticket-dodging color. The only truly effective way to avoid speeding tickets is to simply not speed.