Listening to music while driving is a common practice with most people. It can make driving not so boring-especially if it’s a long ride. Even though listening to music while driving makes it a better time, it can also be dangerous. Music can make you a distracted driver. However, if you keep yourself in check, you can still drive safely with your tunes.
Distracted Driver: Music Being a Distraction
Too loud
Something that may be pretty obvious, but is frequently done, is driving with loud music. It feels nice when you’re driving down the road and your music is the only thing you can hear. However, it makes you a distracted driver. Studies show that having loud music in the carcan decrease your reaction times. Decreased reaction times can, of course, increase the chance of you getting into an accident.
Instead of having booming music in your car, try listening to it at a medium volume. Unfortunately, a reason why people have their music loud is because they can’t hear theirs over everyone else’s. If someone in another car has their music all the way up and you can’t hear yours, just wait them out. Your safety is always more important than making sure you can hear your music.
Changing the Music
Changing your music while driving is another common practice. Even though it can be seen as harmless, it’s super dangerous! Looking at your phone to press the “Skip” button for one second may not seem like a big deal. Sadly, a second is all that’s needed to get into an accident. Looking down to change your music can make you as much as a distracted driver as if you were texting.
Luckily, there are a couple ways to combat that! One thing that can help is to make a playlist for yourself.Your music taste can change depending on how you feel that day. That’s why it’s a great idea to make a playlist that fits your mood for that day. That way, there’s less of a chance of skipping songs and you don’t look at your phone. Another to prevent being a distracted driver is to endure the music. Then, when you make a stop somewhere you can change it.
Listening music can be part of your routine when driving your car. Unfortunately, it can be unsafe if not done correctly. It may seem insignificant, but listening to loud music and changing songs can be dangerous. Even fatal. If you’re aware of what you should be doing, it’ll keep you from being a distracted driver.