For most drivers, turning on their music is as automatic as fastening their seatbelt.
In fact, a study by IAM RoadSmart reported that 89% of motorists listen to music on most trips, while research in Israel found that 80% of younger drivers feel the driving in silence is “almost impossible.”
Unfortunately, science isn’t in tune with that idea. Decades of research has shown that music subtly but consistently changes how we drive, often in ways that feel helpful but quietly work against us.
Researchers at the University of Miami analyzed decades of driving simulation studies and found that listening to music tends to result in more crashes, worse speed control, and shakier following distances than those driving in silence.
Music also raises heart rate, increases mental workload and competes with the task of, you know, not hitting things.
It gets worse for inexperienced drivers. Studies show younger drivers are far more likely to speed, miss hazards and make errors when listening to upbeat or aggressive music. Experienced drivers, having already survived years of close calls and questionable decisions, appear slightly more resistant.
Researchers agree that listening to familiar songs played at moderate volumes is the best way to maintain alertness without overwhelming the brain.
So maybe your mom was right when she used to tell you, “Turn that noise down and pay attention!”
Sound Advice
Eventually the day comes when we start to sound like the parents we used to roll our eyes at.
When you find yourself turning down your music while navigating heavy traffic or a tricky merge, don’t worry; you’re not turning into your mom. It’s just neuroscience at work.
Driving relies heavily on working memory, the brain’s limited mental scratch pad that holds information like traffic signals, surrounding cars, and whether that pedestrian is about to step into the road.
Loud or complex music eats into that capacity. High-energy songs raise arousal and cognitive load, leaving fewer mental resources for steering, braking and decision-making.
So, when the road gets complicated, your brain instinctively reduces sensory input and tells you to reach for the volume knob.
It’s Mother Nature stepping in when your real mom can’t.
Queasy Listening
Drivers aren’t the only ones affected by music. Passengers, it turns out, have stomachs to consider.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience suggests that the wrong playlist can make motion sickness worse, while the right one can cut nausea by more than half.
In a lab experiment using a driving simulator, scientists found that soft and joyful music reduced motion sickness symptoms by about 57%. Sad music, meanwhile, made people feel worse than doing nothing at all.
Participants wore caps with 64 sensors so researchers could monitor brain activity in real time.
When people felt motion sick, activity dropped in the occipital lobe — the part of the brain that processes visual information. Motion sickness often happens when the brain struggles to reconcile what the eyes see with what the body feels. As symptoms eased, occipital activity increased again, suggesting the brain was regaining its balance. Quiet calming music appeared to help speed that recovery along.
Sad music, however, created what researchers called an “emotional resonance effect,” essentially syncing your bad feelings with your nausea.
This matters more as cars become increasingly autonomous. When passengers stop watching the road and start staring at screens, motion sickness becomes more likely.
Fortunately, science suggests the cure may be less about medicine and more about keeping the soundtrack in a major key.
Asphalt Anthem
If all the research on picking the right driving soundtrack gets to be too much, visit California where the roads come with their own built-in playlist.
Just outside Lancaster, a stretch of highway plays the finale of Rossini’s William Tell Overture, but only if you drive exactly 55 mph. The effect comes from precisely spaced grooves cut into the pavement, turning your tires into musical instruments.
There are no speakers or electronics — just physics, pavement, and a safe driving speed. Of course, you’ll also need to turn your own music down to hear it.
The “singing road” began as a Honda marketing stunt in 2008 and was briefly paved over after neighbors complained. It was later resurrected in a more remote location, where the only critics are confused coyotes.
So, between your brain, your stomach, and now the road itself, everyone seems to agree with your mom.
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