How Music and Audio Distractions Contribute to Car Accidents
If you usually drive with music, the thought of driving without it may be unbearable. If you are like most, you have your preferred driving music and a full set list ready to sing along to. But have you ever thought about whether or not your choice of music affects your driving skills? There is a growing body of research in this area, and it has good news and bad news for drivers.
Music is just one of many distractions for drivers. If you’ve been injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver, call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-300-2754.
Cognitive Impact of Audio Distractions
Music, podcasts, and phone calls are all considered cognitive distractions. Cognitive distractions take your attention off of the road and force you to redirect it to what you’re listening to. However, this varies quite a bit from person to person. One study had drivers listen to calming instrumental music or no music while researchers measured their driving skills.
Drivers were also tested while listening to their own preferred music. Although drivers were happiest when listening to their own music, this also yielded the worst results. Participants drove more aggressively, had more driving errors, required more verbal warnings to avoid a crash, and needed more physical intervention to avoid collisions.
Music volume and tempo are also important factors that can leave you cognitively overloaded. The faster-paced your music is, the more likely you are to drive too fast, experience a slowdown in reaction time, and miss obstacles on the road. The same is true with music played at a high volume. Even more relaxing music can have a negative effect on your concentration and driving skills if it is played too loudly.
How Audio Distractions Can Turn into Visual and Manual Distractions
To complicate matters further, audio distractions can spill over into other types of distractions. It’s uncommon for someone to set their playlist, drive, and not make any additional changes. There’s always something to change, a new song to show someone in the vehicle or a change in the volume needed.
Your phone could malfunction and disconnect, requiring you to reconnect it to your sound system. These all require manual adjusting and visual attention, which turns the simple act of listening to music or a podcast into a huge risk. Infotainment systems were created to make this process easier—but even with large buttons and intuitive dashboards, these increase your risk of being involved in an accident.
Limiting the Risks Caused by Music and Audio Entertainment
It’s no secret that distracted driving is a huge problem in the United States. Although many states have enacted laws to prevent the use of cell phones while driving and otherwise discourage distracted driving, these laws have had minimal effect on crash rates and distracted driving numbers. Some public health and safety efforts have turned to education efforts that show people what they are truly risking when they use their phones and drive. These outreach programs also educate people on how to listen and drive safely.
Technology has also made it much easier to drive safely. Cars that beep when you go out of your lane, alert you when your eyes are averted down, and blare an alarm when your hands are off the wheel can do a lot to force drivers to make safer choices. Additionally, accident prevention technology can step in at the last moment and stop a crash if a driver completely drops the ball.
A lot of this comes down to individual responsibility. No matter how many outreach programs and safety advances are released, people simply have to make better and safer choices. The decisions you make while behind the wheel don’t just affect you. They can also have a profound impact on the lives of others on the road. Choose your music and audio carefully to do your part.
Hurt in a Crash? Call Reeves & Mestayer Today
If you have been injured in a car accident, you could be entitled to compensation. With the help of Reeves & Mestayer, you can start your injury claim now. Call us at 228-300-2754 or send us a message online to set up a consultation with our team right away.
