Singing in the rain makes driving less of a pain
Prince's 'Purple Rain' has been voted the greatest rain song ever written in a poll for Uniroyal Tyres.
The soulful single, which was recorded in 1983 and was the title track of the album of the same name released a year later, beat It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls to claim top spot. November Rain by Guns N Roses, released in June 1992, was third.
The poll of 2,000 music fans who drive was carried out by Uniroyal to raise awareness of their wet weather tyre safety campaign.
Yesterday a spokesman from the makers of the Rain Tyre said: ''As much as we complain about rain, it is a popular subject for pop songs – there were a lot to choose from in order to whittle it down to a Top Ten.”
''Driving in the rain can be a tense experience even with your favourite song on the radio. Motorists need to be more careful as visibility is reduced and stopping distances increased.”
Other tracks to make the top ten include Why Does It Always Rain On Me? by Travis, Here Comes The Rain Again, Eurythmics and Sunshine On A Rainy Day, Zoe.
Through The Rain, Mariah Carey, Rainy Days And Mondays by The Carpenters and Rain by Madonna also featured.
The study also revealed more than half of us find driving in the rain stressful and a third of those polled have had an accident or a near-miss in their car because of rain.
And incredibly 20 per cent admitted that while they knew wet roads slash stopping distances, they did not back-off from the car in front in the rain.
It also emerged six in ten of us listen to music in the car to cheer us up on rainy days.
Tim Bailey, safety expert at Uniroyal said: “A great song can only go so far to help your mood in the car. As the amount of water on the road increases, this reduces grip for cornering and braking and there is an increased risk of aquaplaning. The right choice of tyre and regular tread depth checks is critical to help avoid both this and longer braking distances.
“Drivers also need to keep their distance from the car in front and make allowances for other road users who may not adapt their driving style to the road conditions.
''As it rains on average one in every three days in the UK, it should be part of our regular routine to ensure we are prepared for driving in wet weather.”
Top Ten Rain Songs:
1. Purple Rain, Prince
2. It's Raining Men, The Weather Girls
3. November Rain, Guns N Roses
4. Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly
5. Why Does It Always Rain On Me?, Travis
6. Here Comes The Rain Again, Eurythmics
7. Sunshine On A Rainy Day, Zoe
8. Through The Rain, Mariah Carey
9. Rainy Days And Mondays, The Carpenters
10. Rain, Madonna
For more wet weather driving tips, visit uniroyal-tyres.co.uk.