Police car choice causing crash danger

And popular-selling black cars and vans have a 12 per cent higher chance.

These are the findings of a recent safety report, which calls into question the decision by a growing number of police forces to choose silver patrol cars over the more traditional white - and so unwittingly increase the likelihood of a collision.

'An investigation into the relationship between vehicle colour and crash risk', conducted by Monash University Accident Research Centre in Victoria, Australia, found a link between car shade and accident risk. But forces are choosing coloured models over white ones in an effort to increase their fleets' residual values.

Some, including Cambridgeshire, Kent and Hampshire, introduced sil-ver vehicles five years ago. Dark blue Volvo squad cars patrol the UK's motorways, while silver BMWs are used by the Metropolitan Police.

Auction houses which sell used police vehicles claim silver and other coloured models fetch around 10 per cent more than white ones. "The days when motorists looked out for white police cars are over," said the RAC Foundation's Edmund King.