Listening to music while driving is a near-universal habit, with more than 80% of drivers playing music on most trips. For most, it’s barely even something they think twice about, with their preferred radio station or music selection coming on automatically or with an easy one-button press.
Many motorists use playlists to stay awake on long journeys or manage stress in heavy traffic, and younger drivers often report difficulty concentrating without background music.
However, a report based on decades of research suggest the relationship between music and driving performance is complex. While music can enhance alertness and mood, studies show it can also impair certain aspects of driving, particularly for inexperienced drivers.
Most evidence comes from driving simulator studies, in which participants navigate realistic road scenarios while researchers manipulate a single variable: the music. This controlled approach allows precise measurement of outcomes such as speed, braking, lane position, following distance, reaction time and simulated collisions, as well as physiological indicators like heart rate.
Because individual studies often produce mixed or conflicting results, researchers increasingly relied on meta-analyses that combine findings from multiple experiments to identify broader patterns.
Overall, meta-analyses indicated that drivers listening to music tend to have more simulated collisions, poorer speed control and less stable following distances compared with those driving in silence. Effects on lane position, signalling errors and reaction time are less consistent.
Music also alters drivers’ physiological and cognitive states. It often increases heart rate variability, arousal and mental workload, meaning drivers are mentally “busier” while performing the driving task.
For fatigued drivers on long, monotonous trips, music can temporarily improve alertness. However, this benefit is short-lived, typically fading after 15 to 25 minutes.
The influence of volume is subtle. Studies suggest medium- and high-volume music slightly increases driving speed, while low-volume music is associated with slower speeds. These effects are small but consistent.
Tempo alone does not appear to be a reliable predictor of safety for the average driver. While individual studies suggest highly aggressive or high-arousal tracks can encourage riskier behaviour, meta-analyses find no clear overall effect of tempo. The picture changes, however, for novice drivers.
Music choice also matters. Self-selected, familiar music is generally less distracting than music imposed by researchers. Experiments show that disliked or unfamiliar music is associated with more driving errors and collisions, likely because it adds to cognitive load rather than helping regulate mood.
Research consistently shows that inexperienced drivers are more vulnerable to distraction from music. Studies of young drivers have found that upbeat or aggressive genres increase speeding, errors and missed road signs among less-experienced motorists, while experienced drivers show little change in behaviour.
Fast-tempo music has been shown to raise mental workload for novice drivers and reduce their ability to detect hazards. In contrast, slower music does not increase mental load and can modestly improve hazard response.
For most motorists, familiar music at moderate volumes is unlikely to cause major problems and may help maintain alertness and mood. Extremely loud, unfamiliar or aggressive tracks are more likely to increase speed, distraction and cognitive overload.
For newer drivers, researchers suggest reducing the volume or switching music off altogether in demanding driving conditions to minimise distraction and risk.