If you’ve ever reached for the volume knob while driving in difficult conditions, you’re not alone. Plenty of drivers insist they “can’t see” when the music is blaring, even though the logic seems questionable. But science says that instinct isn’t wrong.
So, what is the science behind music and driving? And are there any situations where music becomes beneficial rather than a burden?
Read More: The Ways Animals React to Music May Surprise You
The Risks of Driving With Music
Listening to music while driving may seem harmless. According to an article in Health Promotion Perspectives, 72 to 100 percent of drivers treat in-car audio as a necessary part of the ride, and we spend roughly 75 percent of our road time with something playing.
But not all music affects us the same way behind the wheel. Studies have found that when the volume creeps up, so does our average driving speed. Louder music tends to raise drivers’ mental workload, and high-energy songs can bump adrenaline and pull attention away from the road.
According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, young drivers are especially vulnerable to this effect. They may prefer to drive with their favorite playlists blasting, but research shows that their performance worsens with their preferred music. While listening to music they like, young drivers commit more traffic violations, exhibit more driving errors, show more aggressive behavior, and experience greater overall distraction. While listening to calm music or no music at all, they drove much more safely.
These shifts in driving ability aren’t about taste in music — they’re about cognitive limits and working memory. Driving demands steady focus, situational awareness, and quick decision-making, and every sensory distraction siphons off resources that should be reserved for the road.
Why We Think We “See” Better Without Music
Although scientists don’t suggest there is one specific thing that makes us focus better with or without music, for those of us who choose to turn the music down while encountering difficult driving situations, it likely has to do with our working memory.
Described by the Child Mind Institute as anything you keep in mind while you’re doing something, working memory acts like the brain’s notebook, holding and processing information we need in the moment. Unlike long-term memory, which works quietly in the background, working memory is active and very easy to overload.
As explained by a researcher writing in Accident Analysis & Prevention, working memory plays a major role in information processing while driving and helps us interpret visual and sensory cues:
“A driver encountering a yellow signal would need working memory to temporarily store the state of the signal while scanning the road for more information to make a decision about whether to accelerate or brake in response.”
As working memory becomes crowded — by loud music, complex rhythms, or emotional lyrics — fewer mental resources remain for steering, braking, or assessing road hazards. Research shows that higher working memory capacity is directly related to safer driving behaviors and better decision-making.
Simply reducing audio input can help the brain reallocate resources toward visual and spatial processing, making us feel like more focused drivers.
Does Music Ever Help Us Drive?
Even though certain music can overwhelm our brains while driving, some studies suggest that listening to music in the car actually has many benefits. Studies show that music can reduce stress, calm our nerves, and help us stay awake while driving.
One study, from the University of Groningen, found that listening to music while driving had little to no effect on driving performance. In fact, they found that any effects measured were positive. On long, monotonous roads, music made drivers more attentive and improved their performance.
As study author Ayça Berfu Ünal explained in a press release, “We asked participants to drive behind another vehicle for half an hour on a quiet road. As you would expect, it became very tedious. But the people who listened to music were more focused on driving and performed better than those without music.”
Overall, music seems to be both a distraction and a tool for driving. When we adjust the volume, choose calmer trackers, or skip a song, we’re not being picky — we’re managing our cognitive workload in real time.
Read More: Does Everyone Feel the Same Emotions When Listening to Music?
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from the University of Groningen: Listening to music while driving has very little effect on driving performance
- This article references information from a new study that was published in Accident Analysis & Prevention: On the importance of working memory in the driving safety field: A systematic review
- This article references information from the Child Mind Institute: What Is Working Memory?
- This article references information from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Research In Action
- This article references information from a study that was published in Health Promotion Perspectives: Effect of music on driving performance and physiological and psychological indicators: A systematic review and meta-analysis study
