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Does loud music make you drive fast?
Whether it’s Mozart or Motorhead, over loud fast music with pulsating rhythms can wreck your concentration when driving and double the risk of an accident says road safety champion GEM Motoring Assist (GEM) - while slower music has a calming effect. The theory is propounded by driving instructor and GEM member Audrey Wixon who tested her proposal that ‘beat could lead to a bang’ on pupils just coming up to taking their driving test. She said: “Being able to hear is an important factor in driving as is being able to concentrate. The root cause of many accidents is a driver’s failure to pay attention and research has shown that loud music depletes concentration by 20%.” “If a song is above 60 beats per minute it will cause your heart rate and blood pressure to rise.” She said she believed that up-tempo music also makes you want to drive faster. To prove her point she prepared a tape with fast and slow tracks on it and tested it out on her pupils. “When slow music was playing the pupil would drive perfectly, but sped up when the fast track came on, seemingly unaware of the increase in speed.” Source: GEM Motoring Assist - www.motoringassist.com December 04, 2007 |
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