We all know how it is… The music is thrumming through the car and your fingers drum on the steering wheel, in the middle of that zen sweet spot that only driving brings. Many people treasure time in their car – the opportunity to listen to whatever music you want and relax away from home is rarer than it used to be! However, the music you listen to is actually shown to influence how safely you drive.
Studies have shown that bpm (beats per minute) within music can directly affect how we drive, with songs over 120bpm making drivers more erratic. When listening to music above 120bpm, drivers were shown to break the speed limit by 5-10mph – a high amount! We’re also more likely to change lanes frequently when we’re hyped up on a tune that has us banging our heads – more frequently than is safe, in fact.
Ironically, The Killers’ Mr Brightside ranks as one of the most dangerous songs to listen to! Along with Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen and more, many of our favourite artists and their killer tunes are proven to be perilous on the road. A study done by Moneybarn ranked radio stations by how many songs they played that could affect driving quality.
- Almost unsurprisingly, Classic FM was proven to play the lowest amount of songs that could put drivers in danger. Even if the melody of violins and cellos doesn’t float your boat, it might be worth it for the safe journey!
- Radio X was deemed top of the charts, playing the most songs that have a bpm over 120. That’s not to say you can’t listen to whatever you want, but if Radio X is blaring out of your speakers, then some more caution could be an idea!
As if this information wasn’t enough, it’s also been shown that the volume our music is played at could distract us from the task of driving cautiously. What a buzzkill! We know that part of road trips and car journeys is the experience of singing along to a song that’s loud enough to be heard from the pavements. Although, if there’s one thing we’ll add to our tips for first-time drivers, just turn it down a notch or so.
With the necessary cautions out of the way, allow us to introduce you to the safest songs you can drive to:
- Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
- Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- God’s Plan – Drake
- Africa – Toto
- Location – Khalid
So, if you’re planning a holiday or a long drive, make sure your playlist includes these tunes! We all know that concentration is key when you’re driving, so we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to take Rihanna’s advice and just shut up and drive…
Here at CVS Van Hire, we can provide you with quality vehicles, whether you’re going on a trip in a minibus or transporting belongings in one of our small vans. Contact us for more information on 020 8003 1184 or email info@cvsvanhire.co.uk. We can arrange your booking together!
