eli5 “You’re more likely to be in an accident in a red car”

Question

I heard this statement and it confused me. The explanation was more red cars have accidents than other cars. But surely that doesn’t translate to “I personally am more likely to have an accident if I drive a red car than a blue car today”? Assuming there’s nothing inherently about red cars that makes them more likely to crash. I’m struggling with the maths theory behind it.

Edit to clarify my question: does the statistic that “red cars have more accidents” translate to the statement that “I, personally, all other things being equal, am more likely to have an accident if I drive a red car than a blue one”?

In: 10

Answer 1

This is a perfect example to use to explain the difference between Correlation- when things happen at the same time; and Causation- when things directly cause other things to happen.

Just because two things show up together does not necessarily mean that one **made** the other happen.

There may or may not be a causal link between the events.