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Crash risk higher for black cars |
| TheAllINeed.com |
(NC&T/MU) The Vehicle Colour Study, conducted by Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), confirmed the popular belief that white is the safest choice when it came to being visible and safe on the road.
Compared to white vehicles, black cars had a 12 per cent higher crash risk, closely followed by grey cars with 11 per cent higher risk. Silver vehicles were next, with 10 per cent, then blue and red at 7 per cent.
While other car colours such as cream, yellow and beige ranked closely to white, no other colour ranked safer than white.
The MUARC research was supported by RACV, VicRoads, RTA, NRMA and the TAC. Using on-road crash data, researchers analysed crashes between 1987 and 2004 in Victoria and Western Australia that resulted in death or injury or a vehicle being towed away.
Lead researcher, Senior Research Fellow at MUARC, Dr Stuart Newstead, said the Australian study was arguably the most comprehensive to probe the link between vehicle colour and crash risk.
![]() "Previous international studies have examined vehicle visibility and colour but have not fully taken into account other factors that may have an impact on crash risk, such as driver demographics," Dr Newstead said.
Dr Newstead said the study findings were clear and demonstrated that white-coloured vehicles had the lowest crash risk in all types of light conditions.
"Conversely, darker colours and colours with low contrast to the road environment, including silver, grey, green, red, blue and black, tend to be associated with a higher crash risk, particularly in daylight hours," he said.
Dr Newstead said the link between car colour and crash risk was found to be weaker during twilight and night driving.
"Car colour was found to be less influential on crash risk in darker driving conditions most likely because colour is harder to differentiate. The use of car headlights also negates the effect of car colour in dark conditions to a large degree," he said.
RACV Chief Engineer - Vehicles, Michael Case, said the study results were a useful consideration for safety-conscious car buyers.
However, he urged motorists to recognise that other factors, such as occupant protection levels and safety features, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), were more influential in improving safety.
"Driving a darker coloured car can increase your crash risk, but that is nowhere near as influential a factor as your driving behaviour," he said.
How to make your home heating and cooling system cost effective? By: Ophelia Smith
Did your heating bill again knock your socks off? Why not mine? I have a 2100 plus square foot house but my heating system costs only $200 per month. As compared to me, your bill may be even more than $500. Why is there such a big difference? Let's know the basics to minimize this intolerable difference.
When it comes to my house, its visage is southern and obtains a good heat in winter seasons which turns into shade in summer. Most importantly, it is earth sheltered and on ground floor it is heated by propane heater. Additionally I have a wood stove for wintry days and even it is used for cooking whenever power is off. Higher altitude of mountainous location gives my home an appreciable air conditioning for free.
Now let's look on possible problems in your house. First of all your house may be in city where it gets little sun heat. Even though your house might be new and expensive but still I think insulation may be poor. Additionally you may have conventional gas heating and electric cooling system, both of which are expensive. In this way your house is sucking some extra money from your pocket. Obviously most of the houses in US are power controlled. So what you should do to save money? Here are three valuable strategies to do it efficiently.
1. Make sure to use less gas and power in extra efficient systems like air conditioners, hot water heaters and thermostats.
2. Insulation makes a big difference. You should try to increase insulation in structures which are not properly insulated. Cover all cabinets and shelves in the wall with doors. Also build a porch to shade the windows which will serve to save your home from hot sun. Investment in new sheet rock and insulation is required only once but your bill will come every month. Surely these are old ideas but we need to bring these ideas back to save some useful money.
3. While building your house you should ensure good science. Many builders avoid learning and doing something new so they use conventional ideas which are surely sucking our resources. Also poor quality systems are embedded in these extra large and too fragile houses. For this you need to learn all the basics so you become able to ask your builder for a higher quality.
Always remember houses built on small footprints have proved more energy efficient. Experiences have proved that smaller houses are cheaper to have proper heating and cooling system. Another way of proper heating and cooling is to stack the floors over each other. This way they work more efficiently and save some extra money. Similarly, earth sheltering is another useful approach. By this approach the under ground temperature remains 55 degree and it requires only a small amount of heating and dehumidifying. However some of these structures my not need any cooling or heating but still best thing about them is storm and fire resistance capability. Another option can be the addition of solar collectors to your yard and house. The idea of fireplace can be excellent in cold climates to have good heating environment in your house.
Does all this sounds good for you? Surely, if we go for good science rather than fashion, valuable money can be saved to invest some where else!
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| Quotes | I will not expose the ignorance of the faculty. - Bart Simpson.
I want an Internet. Can I have one of those? -- Spice Girl Mel B.,aka Scary Spice, pointing to a monitor during an AOL press conference
I want to get a tatoo of myself on my entire body, only 2 taller. -- Steven Wright
I think you should defend to the death their right to march, and then go down and meet them with baseball bats.-Woody Allen, on the KKK
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