[bblost]

I don't have any change in driving behavior when I listen to LOUD rock music, hindi/ tamil film music or ghazals.

But play some Jazz and I have to keep slowing down. I wonder why that is.

[srishiva]

Loud music can alter driving speeds, not sure if it can induce bad driving. But it might in certain people.

[nfsfreak]

Interesting thread.

Yes. In my opinion, loud music does affect your concentration which is directly proportional to your driving.

[selfdrive]

IMHO, loud music is directly proportional to higher heart rate & adrenalin. the only outlet a driver has at the moment is the road and this definitely affects the way a person would drive otherwise in normal circumstances. Needless to say, it also blocks out external sound indicators such as horns, and also such drivers are not really liked by the average joe on the road if the noise is excessive

[vinu_h]

If I can add; it actually is against the law to, distract oneself or other drivers during driving, loud music or otherwise.

Although it would be wrong to assume that loud music brings out the less careful driver in us.

[tarun83]

What has happened with me is purely accidental and I am surprised with the this new discovery. Last weekend I had gone to Delhi and my car's head unit broke (The latch which holds it and completes the circuit) accidentally and I had to complete the journey from Delhi to chandigarh which is around 4 hours. I had my mom along so driving fast was out of quesion. Anyways I started my drive and missed the music whenever there was no conversation between us, infact last 1 hour was very irritating as we had ran out of topics and I wanted to finish the drive and reach home.

Next couple of days were very busy for me and I had no time to get my headunit fixed (if possible) or get a new one installed. During this time I discovered some new things as I had no music and I had to drive 50kms daily.

What I have observed is I am less stressed now when I drive, I am more relaxed, As I have no disturbances of any sort my mind is at peace and I can think about some more things and also the best part I can hear slightest of engine noises and understand behaviour of my car. During this time I managed to miss an accident which would have happened if I had music in car (It's not that I play loud) but the accident would have happened as it was a blind turn and I saved my car just by hearing a slight honk from the other driver coming from other side. Now this has made me think considering the traffic scernario in our country which is getting worse day by day is it safe to really drive with music on?

I am really confused now to get the headunit fixed or keep it this way, honestly I am enjoying the drive more now.

FYI..I dont exceed speed limits

[sumeethaldankar]

If you are music lover the chances are that you might do a little jiggle in your car seat or bob your head up and down to some good old fashioned rock n roll number etc.

If someone does something like this (couldn't find it in english)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxTzZ-JjT4Y

it might get someone into trouble.


Music can be distracting if played loud.When i want to drive fast enough i turn down or turn off the music.On a relaxed cruise or stuck in a traffic jam it's a life saver though.

[rajcs]

Originally Posted by tarun83

What I have observed is I am less stressed now when I drive, I am more relaxed, As I have no disturbances of any sort my mind is at peace and I can think about some more things and also the best part I can hear slightest of engine noises and understand behaviour of my car. During this time I managed to miss an accident which would have happened if I had music in car (It's not that I play loud) but the accident would have happened as it was a blind turn and I saved my car just by hearing a slight honk from the other driver coming from other side. Now this has made me think considering the traffic scernario in our country which is getting worse day by day is it safe to really drive with music on?

This is indeed a sobering idea and something to think about. For someone like me who possibly can run the car without fuel but not without music, its something to try out for a while. Thanks for the tip.

[Samurai]

Well, I think it depends on the type of music. I do regular long distance drives in both music and music-less conditions. So I have analysed this a bit.

1) If you are driving aggressively, you need to heavily concentrate on the road. Then any music can be a distraction. But continuous high concentration can lead to high fatigue. Although I don't drive aggressively anymore, sometimes I have to do high concentration drives. For example, I once had to drive the Jeep for 12 hours with high concentration because the front wheels would turn by itself, and I had to be ready to counter it instantly. As a result I was totally fatigued at the end.

So what is the connection with music? Another time I was driving the GV soberly, but listening to non-stop standup comedy from Bill Maher and George Carlin. Since I had to listen carefully (concentration), I was totally fatigued by the end 8 hours drive.

2) If you are driving soberly, without music, you end up listening to vehicle noise, again you tend to concentrate. This happens a lot in the Jeeps and may be even in regular cars. If you are thinking about other things, again you can get lost in thoughts, causing distraction.

3) If you are driving soberly with light music that acts like a suspension to your mind (), you neither have to concentrate nor get lost in thoughts.

Therefore, in my personal opinion, driving soberly with your favourite light music playing in the background (making you hum along) provides the most fatigue-less driving.

Interested to know other theories too.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

3) If you are driving soberly with light music that acts like a suspension to your mind (), you neither have to concentrate nor get lost in thoughts.

Therefore, in my personal opinion, driving soberly with your favourite light music playing in the background (making you hum along) provides the most fatigue-less driving.

Interested to know other theories too.

This is what I do as well. Music is not mandatory for me while driving, and if playing I ensure that it remains in the background. Infact if I have to do long late night drives, I prefer to switch off the music completely.

And whenever I take the car out, I always ensure not to play any music for the first km or so. That helps to listen to the car; for any kind of unusual noises, behavior etc.

[ACM]

I get really irritated with rattle sounds from the vehicle. So when driving without music this is a major problem, and the stress is relatively less if the music is playing.

No there are vehicle that rattle and those that don't or at least not much. If the vehicle does not rattle, then Music can be kept at a lower volume and if it is instrumental in nature then it is quite relaxing, on the other hand if one has a FM channel on and the hosts are quite talkative it can help delay the need for breaks to keep concentration. Of course one tends to drive in auto pilot more if one is listening to music or even in ones own thoughts.

I think though there are times when it is good to keep music off like when driving in hard rain or in very poor visibility conditions and where every ounce of concentration is required. But for other times Music helps keep concentration - especially on long drives.

[phamilyman]

So basically you never plan to get married right?

So much for silence in the car while driving, lol





(jk!)

[saket77]

I do not know if I am an exception, but I enjoy driving much more without music! Also, for us, as a couple it's more likely to indulge in some conversation when there is no music being played.

On most long drives, the conversation will be about roads, the place that we are currently in (giving some Gyaan to wifey) and we even discuss about cars! However, the only thing my wife understands about cars is the speedometer

Music mostly is switched on in intervals during our drives. Also, I feel that I am able to squeeze a little better FE from the car by hearing the sound of the engine when there is no music inside. Also, I must say that I like the engine sound too.

Regards,
Saket

[Mnjdnght]

As a preference - I rather tend to prefer having music than not when driving. In fact I love music while driving so much so that the car audio has been a big factor for me in buying decisions. I also will admit to liking it at a fair volume depending on the music (of course with the disclaimer that it is never loud enough to drown out external sounds such as honks). On my daily commute to/ from work, it helps me avoid road rage, other unpleasant road related thoughts, frustrations etc. On long drives, it helps me catch up on playlists that I otherwise don't get to.

I do however turn down the volume or even switch off completely whenever there is any sense of chaos - crowded towns, confused navigation, unfamiliar terrain, any sense of ill car health, involved in-car discussions and such.

Don't see a clear answer one way or the other, but whatever provides comfort without compromising safety is the way to go. The choice is very subjective though.

[shankar.balan]

I like the music of my engine. The Skoda Diesel Growl is music to my ears.

Having said that, the music system in the Yeti with its 8 speakers is quite excellent in terms of sound quality, so we do listen to music too while driving.

Long intervals of engine sound punctuated by shorter intervals of music...to me that's ideal...