| Music may be bad for you! Here is a report from AOL's news service
THE music you listen to whilst driving can have a severe impact on your performance behind the wheel, the RAC Foundation said today.
New research from Israel showed that up-tempo music caused drivers to have double the amount of accidents as those listening to slower music.
The study gave 28 students different types of music, ranging from slow ballads to dance music, and monitored them as they used a driving simulator.
Drivers who were listening to music with a fast beat were found to be twice as likely to go through a red light and have twice as many accidents.
The research by academics at Ben-Gurion University supports similar work undertaken by the RAC Foundation in 1998.
Conrad King, Consultant Psychologist to the RAC Foundation, said: "In general, if music is above 60 beats per minute, listeners experience a faster heart rate and increased blood pressure. With dance music, that is fairly common.
"Classical music is not as fast, but the number of notes, combined with the repetitive crescendo and diminuendo can have the same effect.
"There is no fundamental difference between the boy racer listening to rave music and the business man in his new Jaguar pumping out opera."
Music to avoid includes:
Wagner "The Ride of the Valkyries"
Mussourgsky "Night on a Bare Mountain"
Verdi "Dies Irae (Requiem)"
Motorhead "The Ace of Spades"
Kylie Minogue "In Your Eyes"
So Solid Crew "21 Seconds"
Music that will help driving includes:
The Beatles "Here Comes The Sun"
Dido "Thank You"
Bach "Cello Suite No.1"
Will Young "Evergreen"
Robbie Williams "Angels"
Allegri "Miserere"
The Smiths "Girlfriend in a Coma"
So there you go, music should carry a health warning!!
Steven |