[thoma]

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.

Even I like to listen to music towards the lowest audible volume levels. But I have to admit that even the slightest volume distracts a bit of my concentration on the winding Kerala roads where you should expect a moron overtaking in a curve from the opposite direction. You really need all your senses so alert on these roads today; traffic in Kerala has exploded like anything.

The essence of my stance was ignored in one of our then hot threads.

[599gto]

Yes, driving with low volume music if far less fatigue inducing. I have noticed too, that no matter how much I like music, its better to drive with low volume or no music at all.
But I guess owning a three cylinder diesel Polo doesn't leave me with much option other than increasing the music volume to cut that ugly engine note.
I do have a decent ICE setup in my daily drive and I do like listening to music at more than decent volumes but that's rare and only when I am alone.

[SmartCat]

Under certain conditions, I feel its better to keep the audio system off -

1) When your 2 year old kid suddenly starts singing a nursery rhyme in his/her unique "singy songy" voice.

2) When it is raining. The constant drumbeat of raindrops on the car roof & the tyres making the "sssssssshhh" sound on a wet road can be therapeutic.

3) On narrow hilly roads. You might want to hear the horn sounded by the oncoming vehicle clearly.

[mi2n]

Speaking strictly scientifically, driving without music should always be safer. However, for a regular office commuter in maddening city traffic, music does have its advantages. I almost always drive with music on. Mostly, it is FM radio, sometimes streaming music from my phone as well, but the Speakers are never muted for a moment during the to and fro commute. I feel very uncomfortable driving without the ICE blabbering at me always. Over the years, I have found out various positives and negatives about use of ICE in cars, some of which I list below :

Positives :
1. Keeps u calm and cool! There is this RJ with an unusual sense of humour who keeps me laughing all the way to and from work. I have not had a single road rage incident, nor got involved even in any slightest of altercations in traffic since he has been on air. Helps in ignoring idiots nudging you every now and then. I even seldom give a stern stare to them nowadays.
2. Keeps you from getting bored and/or irritated and most importantly, impatient. This helps specially on Monday mornings and the daily return commute. Specially during congestions.
3. I do not get distracted by my cell phones ringing intermittently in the bag. I cannot hear it over the sound of ICE. Though this causes issues sometimes at work and home.
4. Traffic situation alerts over the radio has very often been very helpful.

Negatives :
1. Sometimes, your attention is diverted a little too much. Mostly when a song from your college life is playing. Those "our song" titles.
2. You are audibly cut off from your surroundings, which is a hazard. However, if you are visually alert, this should not be an issue.
3. You are oblivious to those new little rattles or for that matter important squeaks and screeches. Not good for your car at all.

I can relate to the sudden feeling of new discovery in driving without audio. All the new things you notice in a silent cabin can be quite a handful. Therefore, though no audio definitely results in tad better driving, it does make the drive less pleasurable.

[mayankjha1806]

Many times on highway drives all the other folks in the car either sleep or start doing their own thing like watching the trees pass by or watch something on the iPad with headphones. Occasionally at night drives everyone usually dozes off only the passenger seat is occupied by someone who needs to be awake.

In all these drives i feel better when music is turned off. You get to hear wind noise, engine note, and road surface undulations and how it causes car to get unbalanced. Even the small things gets felt (Although you are not specifically looking for it).

Couldn't compare if i arrived at destination fatigued or fresh, but invariably i have felt those drives in my memory and even the thought of it makes me feel relaxed and calm.

Haven't tried this on the city drives though. Although i must add that most of the times the music is turned off in the car. Partly because of stupid songs that they play on the radio, partly because we catch up a lot with each other on whats happening over the drive (With such crushed schedules these days).

[Mohitkumaar]

This affects me as well as all people I know. So the volume of music as well as the type of music will be inversely proportional to the distance I have to travel as well as my speed. During my first highway run from Delhi to Haridwar I only played India classical music in the car, this prevented me from driving in a way that i knew was beyond rationality and did not hurt any ears present in the car and it also ensured that sygic navigation instructions were clearly audible. Besides since classicals have long track length, I simply cued the albums and did not bother about chaining more than thrice. Now I have started working on making play lists. Similarly when my car is standing in university parking, i generally have all 5 Fast and Furious OSTs playing (ironic it may seem), it reminds me i have to add F&F6 ost to that cd.

Also it depends upon who is sitting in the car:
Parents or some elder family member- Indian classical, slow and comforting
Friends (F)- very slow, practically in background not more than 8 on total 40 volume level so we can talk properly,
Friends (M)- Anything they prefer because they will tamper the stereo anyway
I am alone and airtel is seeming happy- streaming BBC radio 4

[RoadTrippin]

My $.02, I don't think the type of music has anything to do with driving style. There can be classical music aficionados who might be unaware of road rules and inconsiderate to fellow roadsters and there could well be fans of thrash metal who wear their seat belts and turn the indicators on while shifting lanes.

Personally speaking, I am a music nutter and have music on from the second I start the car. I very rarely turn it up too loud though, and the volume of the music from a car might well be a surrogate indication for driving style. Making a (slight) leap of pop-psychological induction, my theory is that people who like blaring the music out of their stereos to a point where the speakers nearly vibrate physically, are the ones that love 'attention'. These would be the same sorts that that put graphics of skulls and speed demons on their cars, over speed, cut lanes and are keen to be seen as the first out of a traffic signal. I would be more wary of such drivers and always give them a wide berth and keep my distance when driving on highways.

The only time I turn the music up loud (a good few notches before it gets to blare) is when i am, as one songwriter called it, "on a seven day high with that heavenly song". I will still not straddle lanes though!

[Cuatro]

I observed this behaviour in my own driving. Whenever there is some fast paced music in the car the speed increases subconsciously. Then I realise, I need to slow down. Well this is not a high speed I am talking about but a change or 15-20 % from usual city speed limits.

I wonder if this happens to many members in the forum. I also do believe that this increase in car speed also depends on the different age groups.

I am close to 40 now and music still does this to me.

Going by the old quote by William Congreve : 'Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.'

But now I realise that it has the charms to pump up my car speed as well!

This also brings us to the speed limits that we should follow to be safe for ourselves as well as for other users of the road..

[nishantbhatia84]

There was a time when I used to increase my speed to match the tempo/beats, this used to happen a lot when listening to dark trance. I realized this was dangerous and hence made a conscious effort of not to match the tempo/beat and was successfully able to control this behavior!
I suggest you control this behavior as it may get dangerous! All it takes is a bit of will!!

[Cuatro]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

I realized this was dangerous and hence made a conscious effort of not to match the tempo/beat and was successfully able to control this behavior!
I suggest you control this behavior as it may get dangerous! All it takes is a bit of will!!

Very true Nishant. Control and determination is what it takes. Safety is very important.

[karzzexped]

Yes it is scientifically proven that listening to music which is fast paced while driving a car or even plugging headphones while riding a bike is dangerous.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/black-ey...y-least-244323

Surveys like this always do the rounds around the internet and I had read an article in The Hindu, that even proposed a list of best songs that will make one's drive peaceful and calm.

[rev_rohit]

It's opposite in my case. Usually my mood directs the type of music and driving style rather than music deciding my mood and driving style. I choose my playlist according to my mood.

[n.devdath]

I have never been able to enjoy music when I drive. I feel it is an interruption and a nuisance. I keep my sound system off even on my cross country (2000km plus) trips and prefer listening to the engine and other vehicular sounds instead.

I've tried to listen to music as a passenger and I m ok with it.

Of course, this unusual? trait of mine has also resulted in quite a few "interesting arguments" with friends..!!

[ACM]

Nice thread. I have a slightly different take.

The speed of my car is directly proportional to
1) The speed of my thoughts rather than the music when I am in what I call AUTO mode. The music though may influence the pace of thoughts.
2) When driving with concentration the speed is for me directly proportional to the quality and strength of my brakes rather than engine as it is a matter of confidence.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by Cuatro

I observed this behaviour in my own driving. Whenever there is some fast paced music in the car the speed increases subconsciously. Then I realise, I need to slow down. Well this is not a high speed I am talking about but a change or 15-20 % from usual city speed limits.

I wonder if this happens to many members in the forum. I also do believe that this increase in car speed also depends on the different age groups.

I am close to 40 now and music still does this to me.

Going by the old quote by William Congreve : 'Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.'

But now I realise that it has the charms to pump up my car speed as well!

This also brings us to the speed limits that we should follow to be safe for ourselves as well as for other users of the road. I know many forum members have a policy of 90 Max speed which I greatly regard!

It actually releases epinephrine / adrenaline hormone in an increased state in our nervous system, if the music is trancy and or fast tempoed. Hence that directly affects the driving to me at least.

Similarly the slow and smooth songs calm your nervous system which translates to a much softer slower drive.

I have experienced this first hand.