If you spend hours behind the wheel every week, you may find driving to be a necessary but boring task. Listening to your favorite genre of music may help you pass the time. It may also keep you from falling asleep on the road.
While there is usually nothing inherently wrong with turning on your car’s stereo, certain types of music may increase your car accident risk. Specifically, according to reporting from EDM Tunes, listening to up-tempo music may cause you to engage in unsafe driving behaviors.
Beats per minute make a difference
When researchers studied drivers who listen to fast music, they found tracks with more than 120 beats per minute prompted drivers to speed, change lanes erratically, tailgate or otherwise drive unsafely. Interestingly, fast-tempo music also contributed to an increase in driver heart rate. Higher heart rates may cause motorists to become irritable and aggressive.
A song with 120 beats per minute is not all that fast
Even though 120 beats per minute sounds fast, many songs on the radio today cross that threshold. Adele’s “Rumor Has It” and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” are faster than 120 beats per minute. If you listen to electronic dance music, of course, all the songs on your playlist may be even faster.
Slower music may keep you safe
If you have a propensity to drive unsafely when you are listening to fast musical selections, playing mellower songs when you are in the car probably makes sense. Still, it is impossible to control what is on the radios of other motorists.
Ultimately, if someone’s musical choices contribute to an accident that injures you, you may be eligible for substantial financial compensation.