I donno, My '39 Ford Convertible was Green but that did not the State Police for giving me a ticket for 85 in a 35 zone in 1952. No joke. It cost me 125 bucks & I damn near lost my license.
Some statistical help, please!
- Thread starter lrrifleman
- Start date
"Arrest me" RED!
I've seen data supposedly supporting the theory - and an equal amount debunking it. I've also seen data that says red vehicles get in less accidents because they see you coming - and conversely green vehicles get in more accidents because they blend into the background.
Personally I got more tickets in my Poppy Red 1974 Maverick than in any other vehicle I've ever owned (6 tickets my senior year in high school). But at that point in my life I drove like a freaking maniac pretty much everywhere I went and all the time too, so I'm pretty sure the color was less to blame than I was.
I have had a couple of red Jeeps over the years and they didn't seem to attract any more LEO attention than any of the others I had that were green or black or blue.
I've seen data supposedly supporting the theory - and an equal amount debunking it. I've also seen data that says red vehicles get in less accidents because they see you coming - and conversely green vehicles get in more accidents because they blend into the background.
Personally I got more tickets in my Poppy Red 1974 Maverick than in any other vehicle I've ever owned (6 tickets my senior year in high school). But at that point in my life I drove like a freaking maniac pretty much everywhere I went and all the time too, so I'm pretty sure the color was less to blame than I was.
I have had a couple of red Jeeps over the years and they didn't seem to attract any more LEO attention than any of the others I had that were green or black or blue.
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Our main vehicle is a red '17 Mazda CX3. Never been stopped in it.
I stop a lot of cars as a highway patrol officer. Never noticed that red ones were particularly common. Here the most common vehicle colour is white followed by silver/grey.
I do get more than my share of black coloured vehicles though.
And up until early 2018 most of our Highway fleet was coloured red.
I stop a lot of cars as a highway patrol officer. Never noticed that red ones were particularly common. Here the most common vehicle colour is white followed by silver/grey.
I do get more than my share of black coloured vehicles though.
And up until early 2018 most of our Highway fleet was coloured red.
Our granddaughter had a red Jeep and she seemed to get stopped a lot.
But then she is blonde and cute, so maybe the red has nothing to do with
it. It also might be the way she drives.
But then she is blonde and cute, so maybe the red has nothing to do with
it. It also might be the way she drives.
Fishinfool
Member
My experience as a LEO is that you get tickets based on your driving behavior, not the cars color. That said, a red car stands out in a sea of common black / grey / blue cars, and might make ones poor driving habits a little more noticeable.
All my "fun" cars and bikes have been red or black, and I have never noticed any difference in how they attract LEO attention.
Larry
All my "fun" cars and bikes have been red or black, and I have never noticed any difference in how they attract LEO attention.
Larry
Grip_Maker's_Wife
Member
I owned one silver car and one dark gray. I was rear-ended three times between them just waiting at stop lights. I think gray blends in with the pavement. I own a red car that I have had for over ten years (still like it) and thankfully have never been rear-ended or in an accident. I have never been ticketed or pulled over for anything in the red car either. I have concluded that gray is the most dangerous color and red cars are safer. 
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Gaffer
Member
I think it is more a case of those who like red color tend to be a bit more aggressive in their driving. Back in my working days a bunch of us car pooled and the guy with the red Chevy Laguna was the most aggressive and the only one stopped. We teased him often that it was the red color but he tended to drive in the left most lane at top speed. That was the police attraction I am sure.
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Sort of hard to get any meaningful statistics because (at least in my area) most of the cars and trucks on the road are either #1) white, #2) black or #3) silver. There are very few red ones in my area and so the statistics might not really pan out to be accurate.
I know people have done studies on vehicle colors and the rumors are red is the most stopped color, but I'd also bet if you asked 10 State Troopers they would all answer the question differently.
I know people have done studies on vehicle colors and the rumors are red is the most stopped color, but I'd also bet if you asked 10 State Troopers they would all answer the question differently.
Aggie1906
US Veteran
I have been a reader of Car and Driver since before it was named that. This topic has been explored there often, as you might imagine.
I recall the general agreement has been that bright cars like red ones have higher visibility (including to traffic enforcement) while mild colored
vehicles being less visible lead to more accidents.
My experiences neither confirm nor deny this.
I recall the general agreement has been that bright cars like red ones have higher visibility (including to traffic enforcement) while mild colored
vehicles being less visible lead to more accidents.
My experiences neither confirm nor deny this.
LVSteve
Member
I'm pretty certain the red car thing is a myth, but that didn't stop me declining a well priced "Ticket me" red Trans Am when I first came to the US. I could envision coming out of the grocery store to find speeding citations under the windshield wipers because it would only be a matter of time before I WAS speeding. 
oneounceload
Member
I used to own and drive a MINI Cooper in their Chili Red and I DROVE that 6 speed with serious gusto. Many a time over the limit by a LOT and the cops never picked on me; maybe because it was so little.....
What a great car and the only vehicle I have owned over 40 years where I had to move the seat up a little. At 6'3, the driver's seat was always put the furthest back, but not with that car.
Unless you toss your empty beer bottles at the cop car sitting by the side of the road, you shouldn't have any issues.
Now, if this was a red Ferrari or Lambo, that might be different........
What a great car and the only vehicle I have owned over 40 years where I had to move the seat up a little. At 6'3, the driver's seat was always put the furthest back, but not with that car.
Unless you toss your empty beer bottles at the cop car sitting by the side of the road, you shouldn't have any issues.
Now, if this was a red Ferrari or Lambo, that might be different........
gregintenn
Member
Here's what I've learned through life's observations.
1) Cops don't care what color your vehicle is.
2) Being a teenager is widely considered probable cause for a traffic stop.
3) Ex wives are generally bad juju.
1) Cops don't care what color your vehicle is.
2) Being a teenager is widely considered probable cause for a traffic stop.
3) Ex wives are generally bad juju.
I own 3 dark red PUs and 3 dark red Semi's I like them because they don't show dirt. I am almost never stopped.
Tom Kent
US Veteran
An officer looks at a traffic infraction, not the color, make or model of the vehicle.
I may be the exception that proves the rule (or something like that).
Back in the good old days (when I had a little money), my fire engine red convertible attracted cops like flies to honey. It was unbelievable. Didn't matter who was driving either. It was a cursed vehicle. We were soooooo happy to eventually get rid of it. 
But in modern times, it's my rusty old silver/gray Chevy pick-up truck that the cops keep stopping and for the most silly & stupid reasons.
I've beat every ticket in court, but cops around here do not seem to like pick-up trucks driven by white-bearded old men going to see their doctor. BTW, I think it probably takes more than just the color red to attract the attention of the cops. It's also about the vehicle itself. That's pretty obvious by what I see pulled over.
MCorps0311
US Veteran
I owned a red 1977 Ford for 14 years and never pull over by police for anything.
On my second red Vette. Neither were ever pulled. Two speeding tickets with my puppy **** colored Sequoia. Go figure.
I'm on my fifth red truck and have never been stopped by leo for anything, but I was pulled over once driving my only black truck.
I have had a red Duramax since 06. Stopped 1 time going over speed limit in a pack of cars & all of us were doing 70 in a 55 in Alabama.
Trooper asked if I knew how fast I was going? I said yeah but what about all the others? He asked me if i have ever been fishing? I replied Yes.
His reply was "Well you can't catch them all". I sill laff @ it. It was worth the $$
Had a red Porsche & a red VW. also never pulled over.
Trooper asked if I knew how fast I was going? I said yeah but what about all the others? He asked me if i have ever been fishing? I replied Yes.
His reply was "Well you can't catch them all". I sill laff @ it. It was worth the $$
Had a red Porsche & a red VW. also never pulled over.
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