White Line Fever? (Image Source: Flickr)
You may think that it’s strange to be asked what music you might listen to when you are driving, but there is a point! Recent research into what music people listen to when they are driving showed that certain music could affect how someone drives. The research was undertaken by Confused.com, to see what music drivers generally listen to, and how some of that music may adversely affect a person’s driving. If you’ve ever wondered at the effects of music on a person’s driving ability then you might be surprised at these findings.
Participants drove for 250 miles. During the first half of the journey, no music was played, but when music was played during the second part of the journey, it did affect how the participants drove, This was a very small case study with only eight participants, so how far the results might be applicable over a larger research sample is unclear. What did emerge from the study was that certain types of music tended to result in a change in the way the person drove. One of the worst pieces of music that drivers could listen to, based on this small study, was Hey Mama.
Hey Mama
The research found that Hey Mama, a hit from 2004 by the Black Eyed Peas, was probably the worst music to listen to when driving. The researchers used a mobile phone app to monitor driver reactions to particular types of music. The app was used to record braking, acceleration and speed to see how these changed depending on what music the driver was listening to.
Hip-Hop
One of the female research subjects had hip-hop music playing whilst she was driving. The research found that this participant drove faster and much more aggressively than any of the other drivers involved in the research. The app recorded that the participant accelerated faster while the music was playing, and only braked at the last minute.
Heavy Metal
A male driver was played some heavy metal music, and while the music was playing the participant’s driving speed increased dramatically. The man drove a lot faster than any of the other participants whilst he was listening to this music.
Classical Music
The study found that classical music, rather than having the expected calming effect on a driver, did the opposite. The two people who listened to classical music were recorded by the app as both driving erratically while the music was playing. The findings from the study were shared with a psychologist, and he explained that any music that is upbeat and loud could result in poor and aggressive driving. The music acts subconsciously, causing the person to increase their speed as the music speeds up.
According to the doctor, the best or least harmful music for drivers is music that carries the same beat as a person’s heart rate. When music is played at that speed, it tends to have a calming effect, resulting in safer and less aggressive driving methods.
