Influence of music on driving style

Music accompanies us in everyday tasks, during sports activities, and on the road. Take a moment to think whether the volume and type of the music you listen to impacts your behaviour on the streets.

Research on dependencies between music and driving style

There are various theories on the impact of music on driving style. In this context, there was a series of research conducted in order to improve safety on the road. The results clearly indicate that it is not only the volume level, but also the type of music that influences our behaviour behind the wheel.

Conclusions of professor Warren Brodsky

One of the researchers focusing on this field is Warren Brodsky, Professor of Music Psychology and Director of the Music Science Laboratory in the Department of the Arts at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. In 2015, he published a work entitled “Driving with Music: Cognitive-Behavioral Implications”.

Professor Warren Brodsky draws the following conclusions:

• Music influences driving style, offences committed, errors, and general behaviour on the road;

• There is clear evidence that one of the reasons behind road collisions is distraction of the driver;

• Distraction of the driver may be a result of fatigue, talking on the phone, writing a text message, but also lack of concentration caused by music played in the car;

• The car is the only place where you can actually die because of the inappropriate music genre;

• Both amateur and experienced drivers have to know in what way music influences their behaviour while driving.

Direct influence of music on the driver

Music should keep us comfortable while driving, relief stress, and it shouldn’t negatively impact our psycho-motoric abilities. It is also important that it doesn’t make us sleepy during long journeys – on the contrary, it should stimulate our awareness.

Some say that fast and rhythmical tracks ”power” the emotions of the driver, resulting in the lack of concentration, or even recklessness behind the wheel, and the safest genre is classical music.

The easiest ways of dealing with the negative impact of music

When driving, it is important to keep an optimum volume of music that won’t bother us and will be appropriate in a particular situation. Don’t listen to genres you don’t like, even if it’s classical music, which normally poses minimum threat.

Noise in the car as the reason of drivers’ distraction

An adverse effect that may obstruct listening to music is excessive noise in a car. Manufacturers keep improving technologies responsible for isolating noise from the interior of the car, but you can also improve this on your own.

Accessories that improve safety

0

0

Even a brief distraction poses a real threat while driving. Accessories that improve driving safety are:

1.Radios controlled from the steering wheel.

2.Control adapters, matching most of car makes.

3.Adapters for in-car speakerphones - Bluetooth.

4.CD changers with cables of different lengths, placed in a comfortable place in a car, which allow you to easily change the music you’re currently listening to.

5.Car antennas of high quality, ensuring good selectivity, equipped with a suppressor and an input signal amplifier – potential noise, cracks, or losing radio stations may upset the driver.

Quality of a car audio system

Our senses are sharper when the sounds and tones that reach us are clear. Nobody likes unclear sounds or situations, in which you need to carefully listen to or guess the melody you’re listening to. On the other hand, even your favourite music played in a „too vivid and grainy way” may result in stress and annoyance. Due to that, we easily get tired, and the journey becomes so unpleasant that we prefer to drive in silence.

Therefore, the quality of sound in a car audio system is very important. The better the sound, the more satisfaction it gives. Without a doubt, it is a good idea to buy a quality player and find appropriate car audio cables and speakers.

Summary

Obviously, there are situations when we complete our journey without paying attention to the music in the background. Human brain can cut off redundant stimuli and focus on what’s important. However, both the quality and volume of the sound, and the type of music influence our driving abilities, and subsequently the safety of passengers.