It’s an iconic scene from one of the most iconic films of the 90s, but the reality is ‘very very frightening’ indeed. A study conducted by motor insurance company More Than and psychologist Dr Simon Moore has shown how young drivers can be affected by the music that they are listening to in the car. 11% of young drivers admitted to having an incident as a direct result of being distracted by the music they were listening, or singing, to. Perhaps more worryingly, over 90% of young drivers admit to singing and dancing behind the wheel. Dr Moore’s research has culminated with the creation of some of the worlds dullest driving music, designed to not make you fall asleep or dance (although I haven’t stopped yawning since hearing it) which you can hear here or download it for free from more than’s website if you fancy some music to listen to as you go to sleep. The music aims to calm the listener by maintaining a beats-per-minute of 60-80, roughly the same as that of the human heart. Not only does this relax you, but can increase fuel economy by smoothing your driving style. If you want to try and find your own music to listen to, here’s some important rules to follow: • Music that is too slow causes decreased performance; • Music that is too fast also causes decreased performance; • Music that is fast but not too fast is ideal; • This means music that is between 50-80 beats per minute is safest (it also mirrors the average heart rate which promotes a nice steady calming association); • The music should have energetic movement and steady pulsation, indicative of Baroque style music (Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven); • The louder the music the more likely drivers will miss vital cues to risk. Low intensity music seems to improve driving performance; • There are no lyrics or there are very simple predictable lyrics/chorus – listening to spoken words is very distracting from a psychological perspective; • It is not a well-known tune; and • It does not contain a specific melody to sing, dance or hum along to.
Will you do the fandango?
CAC Admin |
It’s an iconic scene from one of the most iconic films of the 90s, but the reality is ‘very very frightening’ indeed. A study conducted by motor insurance company More Than and psychologist Dr Simon Moore has shown how young drivers can be affected by the music that they are listening to in the car. 11% of young drivers admitted to having an incident as a direct result of being distracted by the music they were listening, or singing, to. Perhaps more worryingly, over 90% of young drivers admit to singing and dancing behind the wheel. Dr Moore’s research has culminated with the creation of some of the worlds dullest driving music, designed to not make you fall asleep or dance (although I haven’t stopped yawning since hearing it) which you can hear here or download it for free from more than’s website if you fancy some music to listen to as you go to sleep. The music aims to calm the listener by maintaining a beats-per-minute of 60-80, roughly the same as that of the human heart. Not only does this relax you, but can increase fuel economy by smoothing your driving style. If you want to try and find your own music to listen to, here’s some important rules to follow: • Music that is too slow causes decreased performance; • Music that is too fast also causes decreased performance; • Music that is fast but not too fast is ideal; • This means music that is between 50-80 beats per minute is safest (it also mirrors the average heart rate which promotes a nice steady calming association); • The music should have energetic movement and steady pulsation, indicative of Baroque style music (Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven); • The louder the music the more likely drivers will miss vital cues to risk. Low intensity music seems to improve driving performance; • There are no lyrics or there are very simple predictable lyrics/chorus – listening to spoken words is very distracting from a psychological perspective; • It is not a well-known tune; and • It does not contain a specific melody to sing, dance or hum along to.