Seventy young people spent roughly a half-hour negotiating virtual city and country landscapes in driving simulators. Some listened to the music of their choice at the loud (but not earsplitting) volume of 90 decibels, while others drove in silence.
When following an erratic driver, participants listening to loud music were better at maintaining a consistently safe distance than the control group. They also reacted more alertly to a car darting out from a parking space.
The music listeners reported that driving took more effort than the control group did, but apparently they more than compensated for whatever effort listening demanded. Music may also have helped by reducing boredom, researchers said.
"The Influence of Music on Mental Effort and Driving Performance," Ayça Berfu Ünal, Linda Steg and Kai Epstude, Accident Analysis & Prevention (September)
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