Listening to music ‘makes driving a positive experience’

The first findings of the ongoing study, which will involve 3 000 drivers in 10 countries, were announced at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg, South Africa, during a Shell V-Power Southern Equitorial Ferrari Automobili Club gathering on 23 September.

The study used wearable emotion tracking technology, as well as traffic and weather information and questionnaires, to give a comprehensive picture of what motorists experience on the road.

It revealed that listening to pop music increased the performance of South African motorists.

“Looking at drivers in South Africa, we can see that the highest-performing drivers displayed an overall sense of positivity and optimism, making a conscious effort to relax and stay chilled behind the wheel by listening to music,” Dr Chris Brauer, director of Innovation at Goldsmiths, University of London, said.

“The nature of this study allows us to observe not only the impact of external factors such as weather and traffic on drivers while on the road but also the internal factors that we as drivers have more control over.”

This is not the first research conducted into driver performance and music. In 2013, researchers Warren Brodsky and Zack Slor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel found that teens listening to their preferred music while driving commit a greater number of errors and miscalculations. Male novice drivers in particular make more frequent and serious mistakes listening to their preferred music than their less aggressive, female counterparts, the researchers noted.  

The Shell SA-Goldsmiths study, however, gives music an important role when stress levels need to be reduced in highly-congested traffic areas.

“This experiment was an interesting and valuable insight for us about our valuable customers and the South African market in general,” Shell SA customer experience manager Frans Maluleke said.

“We understand that drivers face many challenges on their daily commutes. Our aim is to utilise the findings of the research to enhance the customer experience and design offers that cater for their needs.”

Other motorists who exhibited good driver performance, the study said, included optimistic drivers, drivers with children or family in the car, drivers in rural areas and those who displayed a passion for driving. Motorists driving for more than 15 years received low driver performance scores.