Music Can Have a Surprising Impact on Your Driving
Some music has an interesting effect on how you drive—like how fast you go or how much attention you pay to the road.
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
The abundance of driving music playlists on popular music streaming services should tell us what we already know: we like to jam out
during our commutes
.Research has also confirmed what we’ve long known to be true—that your choice of music can affect how you drive.
Certain playlists impact your driving
As reported by
NPR
, according to a 2013 study by researchers at London Metropolitan University, soft and slow tunes like those by Norah Jones, Coldplay and Elton John result in safer driving, while hip-hop, dance and heavy metal music inspire more aggressive driving. Classical music was a mixed bag, with more drivers responding erratically to it.The university determined this by studying how eight motorists’ driving habits were affected by playlists featuring different genres of music over 500 miles.
It found that the “safest” songs were those whose rhythm matched the human heartbeat, or between 60-80 beats per minute. The most dangerous songs were those that were less calming and elevated the
heart rate
, causing the drivers to be distracted from the road and pay attention to the music instead.Different taste in music can affect driving habits
The study also had different effects on men and women. Hip-hop music made both men and women drive more aggressively, but it caused women to behave a little more erratically, making them accelerate faster and brake harder than men.
What made men and women speed also differed; dance music caused women to floor it, while heavy metal made men want to put the pedal to the… you know.
What are the safest songs for driving?
- “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones
- “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars
- “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
- “The Scientist” by Coldplay
- “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
- “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake
- “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith
- “Karma Police” by Radiohead
- “Never Had A Dream Come True” by S Club 7
- “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver
But what were the worst songs for driving? Those included “Hey Mama” by The Black Eyed Peas, “How You Remind Me” by Nickelback and “Heartless” by Kanye West.
In general, common sense dictates that you stay calm and attentive behind the wheel and to avoid distractions such as loud, fast-paced music. When your parents told you to keep the volume down when you first started driving, they probably weren’t too worried about you blowing out the speakers on your mom’s Buick Regal.
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