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The Highway Code says that "safe driving needs concentration" and that motorists should "avoid distractions when driving such as loud music," as they may have a road traffic accident and then need to make a car accident claim.
Importantly, the Highway Code states that loud music while behind the wheel is dangerous because it "may mask other sounds". However, research over the years has come to the conclusion that it is not only the volume at which the music is listened to that could have an adverse influence on an individual – depending on what type of music you listen to, your mood or driving style can also be affected, and this in turn could cause a crash.
Affects of fast music on driving
In 2002, the New Scientist reported on a study which was undertaken by a Ben-Gurion University student in Israel. It showed how the tempo of the music listened to might affect drivers.
Warren Brodsky studied 28 students while they drove in a simulator listening to different speeds of music, or no music at all. All the students had an average of seven years' experience on the road.
The tempo in the songs ranged from 60 beats per minute, in the calmer music, to 120 beats per minute or more in the fast clubbing-style music used. The faster the tempo became, the greater risks individuals behind the wheel took. After this research was published, a member of the Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said, "We need more research into the effects of distractions in cars".
Affects of music genre on driving
In 2007, British psychologists investigated what possible affects on a motorist the genre of music being listened to could have. Hard-rock music, hip-hop and classical music styles were named as some of the most dangerous to listen to on the road, but many drivers disagreed, saying that having music on in their car helped them to concentrate.
During the experiment, the researchers noted that the more emotional the music being played, the more drivers unconsciously increased their speed and paid less attention to the road, but other researchers opposed this finding.
According to the Russian Institute of Ecopsychology, it is the acoustic vibrations, not emotions in the music which have a direct affect on the human body. As a result, they say "hard" music can make people more aggressive, and similarly some believe that listening to calm music may make the person behind the wheel too relaxed and make them lose control of the car through lack of focus.
Further research by Auto Trader magazine, approaching the end of 2009, felt that "rap" was the most dangerous music to play while driving. However, as the director of the Institute of Advanced Motorists said at the time, "If you listen to rap music in the car, you are most likely to be young and male and unfortunately that is the target group least likely to listen to road safety advice."
Making a car accident claim with us
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident which was not your fault and suffered a personal injury that you would like to make a compensation claim for, then by using our expert no win no fee solicitors, you could get the 100% compensation due to you.
To see if you are eligible, simply give us a ring on 0800 10 757 95, use live help to get advise, or fill in our short online claim form and a member of our team will contact you regarding your case.
