New Study Indicates Fast Music Can Contribute to Speeding
A while back, we shared the results of a study from London Metropolitan University, which indicated that faster, intenser music was connected with more aggressive driving habits. Now, a more recent study from South China University of Technology corroborates those results.
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The results of the new study
Researchers at South China University of Technology found that drivers who listened to fast music with a tempo of 120 beats per minute or higher tended to drive erratically. During the experiment, volunteers participated in a driving simulator. They had to drive on a six-lane interstate for 20-minute time periods. Researchers switched the music at each 20-minute interval, sometimes having them listen to silence during the simulation.
The study revealed that the average driver changed lanes approximately 70 times, during a 20-minute session. However, they changed lanes 140 times in that same period, and often went 5 mph over the speed limit, when they listened to fast rock music.
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Interestingly enough, the study indicated that the top two most dangerous songs to listen to are Green Day’s “American Idiot,” followed closely by Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” By contrast, slower songs with tempos similar to the rhythm of the human heart at rest, tended to correspond with safer driving speeds and behavior. Researchers found that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” is one of the safest songs to listen to while driving. It has a more laid-back tempo of 63 BPM.
Concluding thoughts
It will be interesting to see if automakers start designing music-focused safety features on future models. Maybe some OEMs will start designing technologies that automatically switch the radio station when it detects that the driver is speeding while an upbeat song is playing.
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News Source: GM Authority
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