You’re less likely to get in an accident in a taxi if it’s yellow

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Yellow taxi cabs have significantly fewer accidents than cabs of a darker hue, according to new research.

You may only want to hail yellow taxis: The brightly colored cabs are involved in fewer accidents than blue ones, because yellow is more visible, according to a new study.

An analysis of millions of detailed taxi, driver and accident information over a three-year period from Singapore’s largest taxi company found yellow taxis were involved in 9% fewer accidents than blue ones, the study said.

Researchers ruled out differences in driving speed, number of stops and distance covered as factors, leaving color as the primary reason. “Color was the only differentiator because the company used the same car models and enforced the same maintenance policy for all its taxis,” the study reported.

Because yellow taxis are more noticeable than blue ones — especially when in front of another vehicle — other drivers can better avoid hitting them, directly reducing the accident rate, the study found. It’s the first published research that identified vehicle color as a main contributor to accident rates.

“This finding can play a significant role when choosing colors for public transportation and may save lives as well as millions of dollars,” the authors wrote in the study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

If the company changed the color of its entire fleet of 12,525 blue taxis to yellow, 76 fewer accidents would occur per month, or 917 fewer accidents per year.

Yellow has been a popular color for taxis since 1907, when the Chicago Yellow Cab Company chose the color based on a survey that said yellow was the most noticeable color. Back then, when all other cars were black, it was easier for potential passengers to spot a yellow cab.

“It could turn out that a simple commercial decision made by the Chicago Yellow Cab Company more than a century ago has an inadvertent, positively impactful economic and potentially life-saving outcome that we can adopt and expand on, starting today,” the study said.

24 thoughts on “You’re less likely to get in an accident in a taxi if it’s yellow”

  3. We cab drivers have less accidents. But our insurance premiums are double that of our darker hue competitors. How does that make any sense?

  4. where can you find an empty taxi releive stand!
    they all are taken by these roaches of ubers sleeping on them for hours.
    An we taxis are getting ticket of 115$ just by going for a pee!!!
    taxi stand dhould become relieve stand!
    period.

  10. “We cab drivers have less accidents. But our insurance premiums are double that of our darker hue competitors. How does that make any sense?” Partitions mutilate and kill, that’s why.

  11. A plastic surgeon passenger told me half the patients in his waiting room with facial injuries hit the partition.

  12. Because of that, riders are and the majority of cabdrivers do prefer taxis without the partition!

  15. I accepted 3 curb e hails. Got paid the first one, no show the second and I drove past customers, third I never got paid $40 and it was approved. My phone calls to verifone in Astoria on 11th St never returned. Accept at your own risk.

  22. the more nyc put Uber cars on the street, the more they make money, there is no way the will reduce the number of Uber cars on street, they already enjoy it, they are expanding Uber and Lyft service in up state NY and they keep saying Uber is causing traffic in the city, we gonna do something, nothing is gonna happing, they already kill the medallion system, Uber is the New thing now, so guys medallion is dead and is not coming back, $241,000? for that metal on the hood?

  24. When are the JFK dispatchers going to stop cabbies from picking up without going to the lot? Especially at terminal 1. They come right from the Van Wyck and get on line. They are being paid to do a job.

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