Keep safe on the road while listening to a little music

Listening to music whilst you drive could actually reduce your chances of having an accident, new research from Sainsbury’s Car Insurance can reveal. The results reveal that 84% of motorists questioned believe listening to music helps them to relax when driving and 65% say it helps them to stay awake.

Worryingly however, the findings also show that in a minority of cases, it can result in more dangerous driving habits. Around 2.9 million motorists confessed to being distracted whilst listening to music when driving, 4.5 million said they tended to drive faster, and 2.1 million admitted to driving more aggressively.

Lucy Hunter, Sainsbury's Car Insurance Manager said: “Many motorists clearly enjoy listening to music when they drive but it's important to recognise the effect it has on your driving and pick your music accordingly. It may well be tempting to listen to music to perk yourself up but our advice if you feel tired is to pull over and have a break, similarly consider switching to something soothing if you're beginning to feel a little irate.”

In terms of the most popular music to listen to when driving, classical and general pop are joint, each enjoyed by 13% of motorists. Rock is second (11% of motorists) followed by country and western (5% of motorists). A further 17% of motorists enjoy everything from Hip Hop and dance to easy listening and jazz. Surprisingly the biggest group of music loving motorists, 31% of people, are not at all fussed which type of music is played and are happy to listen to anything.

Effects of listening to music when driving

Percentage of motorists - Number of drivers

I feel more relaxed if I listen to music when I drive - 84% 27.40 million
It helps to keep me awake 65% 21.09 million
It helps me to concentrate 50% 16.15 million
I drive faster 14% 4.53 million
I am distracted 9% 2.88 million
I drive more aggressively 6% 2.10 million

Drivers in the North East are most likely to be adversely effected by listening to music whilst driving with 34% saying that it affects their driving in a negative way whilst only 24% of motorists in the South East admit the same, the least out of any region.

The impact of music on your driving habits can be linked to the genre you listen to and your age. For example, 10% of motorists aged 35 and under, who tend to listen to pop music, said that it made them drive more aggressively and 22% said it made them go faster. However, 84% of motorists aged 45 and over the majority of who listen to classical music said it helped them to relax when driving.

Sainsbury’s Car Insurance offers competitive premiums and could save motorists up to £121. Sainsbury’s also offers motorists an extensive range of cover and benefits. This includes a courtesy car when using one of its recommended repairers (comprehensive cover only) and a no claim discount of 70% if you have not made a claim in the past five years, rising to 75% after a further five years’ claim free driving with Sainsbury’s Car Insurance. It is also one of only a few providers to offer new for old replacement child car seats after an accident as a standard feature of its comprehensive policy, even when there is no perceived damage, as well as support and compensation if you’re a victim of car jacking or road rage.