Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Mood music: Heavy metal makes drivers too agitated, but classical makes them too cool

‘Motorists should think carefully about what music they listen to’ says Auto Express after distracted driving test

Research carried out by Auto Express and IAM RoadSmart has revealed that listening to pretty much any kind of music makes motorists slightly worse at driving.

The tests involved Auto Express’s Tristan Shale-Hester driving two simulated ‘precision’ laps of Austria’s Red Bull Ring Grand Prix track in a driving simulator.

He then did further laps while listening to different genres of music at full volume.

"Blaring music" meant driver didn't know he'd hit cyclist, court told

The test involved fast acceleration, a series of ‘technically challenging’ corners, a speed-limited zone and then a controlled stop on the finish line.

The control lap, without music, took 4m34s. When Shale-Hester did the same circuit listening to Slipknot, he was 14 seconds slower. He said the music made it harder to concentrate on the road and his throttle movements were described as ‘jagged’.

An attempt undertaken while listening to Bach’s Goldberg Variations was actually two seconds quicker than the Slipknot lap, but it could be that Shale-Hester was too relaxed. He dropped his speed to 35mph in a 50mph without noticing.

An attempt listening to Shake It Off by Taylor Swift resulted in the most successful musical lap, just two seconds slower than the control. IAM RoadSmart expert Tim Shallcross said these laps were “smoothest in terms of speed consistency.”

Video: US number one hit Cheap Thrills played entirely on a bicycle

The final test was accompanied by Kendric Lamar’s hip-hop track Humble. Shale-Hester was only a second slower on this effort but overshot the finish by four car lengths.

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express said: “Much of the focus around distracted driving is on using a handheld mobile behind the wheel, and rightly so. But Auto Express’s joint research with IAM RoadSmart shows that as well as making a conscious decision to put their phone away when driving, motorists should also think carefully about what music they listen to.

“While heavy metal was clearly linked to Tristan’s worst lap, classical music fans may be interested to learn that some pieces appear to promote too deep a state of relaxation to be listened to when behind the wheel.”

Shallcross added: “What is clear is that the ferocious thrash metal really reduced the ability of the driver to get around the track smoothly. That, and high-energy dance music, are designed to be felt as well as heard, and to be listened to at volume. It’s clear neither help when it comes to making exacting driving manoeuvres.

“Volume is the major factor for concentration and has a big effect. I would certainly advise drivers to dial down the noise when making a manoeuvre – and save the thrash metal for later in the day, or night.”

 

 

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

Add new comment

16 comments

Avatar
keirik | 4 years ago
1 like

Jacknorell really wants to know what you drive Brooksby

Avatar
brooksby replied to keirik | 4 years ago
1 like

keirik wrote:

Jacknorell really wants to know what you drive Brooksby

They do, don't they?  4

My car, which now does maybe twenty miles a week tops (one family journey I can't cycle or go by bus) is a 1970 VW Beetle. My wife's car is a 1973 VW bus.

Both polluting as heck, but do such low mileage that I hope we're not such a problem.

Having such a loud and inefficient engine does remind you that you're burning *actual fuel* every time you drive, too (rather than magical unicorn juice or something).

Avatar
keirik | 4 years ago
3 likes

Jacknorell really wants to know what you drive Brooksby

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

My car doesn't have a radio or an eight-track player or anything like that (doesn't have reversing lights either: they were an optional extra). Nor airbags or ABS, for that matter. I like to think it keeps me more focused on the actual activity of driving...

Avatar
jacknorell replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
1 like
brooksby wrote:

My car doesn't have a radio or an eight-track player or anything like that (doesn't have reversing lights either: they were an optional extra). Nor airbags or ABS, for that matter. I like to think it keeps me more focused on the actual activity of driving...

I'll bite... What do you drive?

Avatar
jacknorell replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

My car doesn't have a radio or an eight-track player or anything like that (doesn't have reversing lights either: they were an optional extra). Nor airbags or ABS, for that matter. I like to think it keeps me more focused on the actual activity of driving...

I'll bite... What do you drive?

Avatar
jacknorell replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

My car doesn't have a radio or an eight-track player or anything like that (doesn't have reversing lights either: they were an optional extra). Nor airbags or ABS, for that matter. I like to think it keeps me more focused on the actual activity of driving...

I'll bite... What do you drive?

Avatar
jacknorell replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

My car doesn't have a radio or an eight-track player or anything like that (doesn't have reversing lights either: they were an optional extra). Nor airbags or ABS, for that matter. I like to think it keeps me more focused on the actual activity of driving...

I'll bite... What do you drive?

Avatar
jacknorell replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

My car doesn't have a radio or an eight-track player or anything like that (doesn't have reversing lights either: they were an optional extra). Nor airbags or ABS, for that matter. I like to think it keeps me more focused on the actual activity of driving...

I'll bite... What do you drive?

Avatar
Jetmans Dad | 4 years ago
3 likes

I am all for things that might make me a better driver, but I draw the line at linstening to Taylor Swift ...

Avatar
ConcordeCX | 4 years ago
0 likes

They missed a golden opportunity: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x206ewr

 

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like

Jesus wept, this was common knowledge when I first started driving in the early 90s and a lot more in depth than the test done here.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Jesus wept, this was common knowledge when I first started driving in the early 90s and a lot more in depth than the test done here.

We live in a green era, when even news gets recycled.

Avatar
Tony Farrelly replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Jesus wept, this was common knowledge when I first started driving in the early 90s and a lot more in depth than the test done here.

I think we all knew it (Mayer Hillman suggested cars shouldn't have radios on safety grounds decades ago), but we didn't do anything about it, and then forgot, leaving it for the next generation to re-learn the blindingly obvious all over again before inevitably…

Avatar
FrankH | 4 years ago
2 likes

"The tests involved Auto Express’s Tristan Shale-Hester driving two simulated ‘precision’ laps of Austria’s Red Bull Ring Grand Prix track in a driving simulator."

Is that it? A sample size of one?

That's obviously going to be statistically signficant, isn't it?

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes

No doubt Lewis Hamilton must be having Reign in Blood pipes into his helmet then.

Stupid F1 teams spending millions on aero tricks when all they need is a Spotify subscription.

Latest Comments