Music and Car Accidents: What the Research Says (2024)

FAQs

Can music cause car accidents? ›

According to a study by the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in-vehicle driver distraction, such as listening to music, is responsible for 25% of traffic accidents.

Faster music can lead to faster, riskier driving. Tests have shown music with higher beats per minute causes people to drive faster and underestimate their speed. In some tests, faster music also caused weaving, disregard for red lights and increases in collisions.

Drivers need to hear what's happening around them. Playing loud music in the car makes it harder to hear vital traffic cues. Some studies have shown that driving with loud music may slow driver reaction times to stimuli in your peripheral vision — a real problem in traffic that could impact safety.

Background music, researchers found, can reduce stress and enhance relaxation when driving in traffic and other irritating situations. While driving in high-congestion traffic, listening to favorite music led to milder driver aggression. The study also reported that music tempo can affect driver performance.

There are studies that show, however, that music can impact our mood long-term, increasing depression or anxiety. Certain songs, certain lyrics, certain genres of music are more likely to intensify depression or anxiety, sometimes as much or more as outside stressors and environmental factors.

Country music, for example, also has a long tradition of dealing in murder. In popular music, Nick Cave cemented his international reputation with an album of murder ballads. In fact, there is virtually no evidence to support the claim that music causes crime.

Additionally, some drivers lose the ability to focus on the road as a result of music. Not only is listening to music potentially distracting, but playing music can lead to certain behaviors that result in distracted driving as well. Sadly, many accidents occur due to driver distractions.

As she explains: “Studies have shown that people tend to synchronise their movements to the tempo of the music they are listening to. This is why high-energy music with a greater number of beats per minute (BPM) motivates us to run faster.”

What influence does music have when driving? Depending on the mood, music can relax, give strength, stimulate reflection, arouse emotions, intensify, or even subdue them. That's why interior sound design is so important to us.

You can listen to sounds at 70 dBA or lower for as long as you want. Sounds at 85 dBA can lead to hearing loss if you listen to them for more than 8 hours at a time. Sounds over 85 dBa can damage your hearing faster. The safe listening time is cut in half for every 3-dB rise in noise levels over 85 dBA.

Can loud music damage a hard drive? ›

Noise Sources

Due to the microscopic tolerances inside the modern spinning hard drive, loud noises can stop them from operating and even cause permanent failure.

Yes, especially when you're loud enough to cause a commotion. In most cases, you could get pulled over and receive a warning from a police officer, but it's possible to have a traffic violation as well.

Music does help make a long drive seem less intense, but choose to do to a bare minimum avoiding the use of screens and cellphones. Shifting attention is the basis of most auto collisions, whatever the cause of shifting focus may be. Karaoke belongs to that category and the best course of action is to avoid it.

It'll Clear Your Mind

A leisurely drive can provide a means of escape, a chance to breathe fresh air, think, or completely be free. If you experience anxiety or pressure around others, the best way to de-stress is to hop in the car and go for a relaxing solo drive. It provides you the space you need.

Can drivers listen to music during a race? The short answer is no – drivers cannot listen to music while racing. While it's true that flipping through Spotify while racing would be a nice gimmick, there's no doubt that it would be a huge distraction for the drivers.

Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the shorter the time period before NIHL can occur. Your car stereo was measured at: …………… dB(A) SPL Sounds of less than 75 decibels, even after long exposure, are unlikely to cause hearing loss.

Continual exposure to noise can cause stress, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and many other health problems. Some people are at higher risk for hearing loss, including those who: are exposed to loud sounds at home and in the community.

Thus, there are more disadvantages than advantages in driving with loud music: it damages hearing and nerves, it most often distracts from the road, and. it causes a lot of harm, albeit small, to others.

For the average person, listening fatigue is an all-too-common occurrence after a long day of meetings, or too much time spent multitasking while listening to music or other audio recordings.