A new report claims that young drivers listening to either rock or rap music are more prone to road accidents than drivers listening to music from other genres.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, young male drivers are more likely to fall foul of errors when listening to their preferred brand of music. The report reveals that overall, 98% of drivers are likely to make an error when listening to their favourite tune(s).
The study, conducted by researchers at Ben Gurion University in Israel, discovered that ‘soothing’ music reduces bad driving by 20%.
Researchers uncovered that young drivers get ‘drawn into a song’, often getting lost in the moment, leading them to distraction and the closing of eyes whilst driving.
The study involved 85 participants, all teenagers, all of whom were sent on six, 40-minute journeys. Two out of the six trips allowed the driver to listen to music of their own choosing; two other trips used background music with the purpose of increasing safety (the music for these particular trips included: easy listening, soft rock and light jazz) and the remaining two trips were undertaken without music.
‘The results were astonishing’, said researchers. When drivers chose their own music, 98% of participants demonstrated what researchers deemed to be, ‘deficient driving behaviours’. These behaviours involved tailgating, or careless lane switching in at least one of the two trips.
Almost a third of the young drivers had to be told to take evasive action in order to avoid accidents.
In the absence of music, 92% of drivers made mistakes and when alternative tunes were played mistakes decreased by as much as 20%.
In a statement from researcher Warren Brodsky, representing the Ben-Gurion University in Israel, he said: “Young drivers tend to play music very loudly – 120 to 130 decibels. Drivers are not aware that as they get drawn-in by a song, they move from an extra-personal space involving driving tasks, to a more personal space of active music listening.â€
An excerpt from the report reads: ‘Most drivers worldwide prefer to listen to music in a car and those between ages 16 to 30 choose driving to pop, rock, dance, hip-hop and rap. Young drivers also tend to play this highly energetic, fast-paced music very loudly – approximately 120 to 130 decibels.’
‘Drivers in general are not aware that as they get drawn-in by a song, they move from an extra-personal space involving driving tasks, to a more personal space of active music listening.’
The study was funded by the Israel National Road Safety Authority and they plan to publish the study, and its results, in the October issue of its Accident Analysis and Prevention Publication.
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