Music is one of the most popular ways people make their drive more enjoyable. Depending on the type of music, your driving experience may wildly vary from the next person. Upbeat music can make you want to drive faster, while classical music may make you slower or even sleepy.
Optimally, you would want to select music that isn’t too distracting and will leave you feeling alert and in a good mood. Choosing which genre or artists make you drive better to be the most beneficial in helping your concentration when driving is important.
In a study by Auto Trader, the automotive marketplace company conducted a study of what artists help improve concentration behind the wheel. A group of 17 participants were asked to spot and identify driving hazards in a series of virtual driving scenarios, whilst listening to music artists from a range of popular genres.
The study participants completed a series of hazard perception tests while listening to different playlists from 20 different popular artists that have been regularly streamed or played on the radio in 2024. After taking each hazard perception test while listening to the popular playlists, the participants’ scores were recorded and totaled to discover the average result per musician.
While the majority of study participants passed their hazard perception tests while listening to different artists, there were two artists that severely impacted participants’ abilities to spot and react to hazards in a timely manner. Both classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach and rapper Megan Thee Stallion did not prove to be helpful artists to listen to in the car, with participants scoring an average of 42.5 and 37.5, respectively. For context, you must score at least 44 out of 75 in order to pass.
![Megan Thee Stallion performing at Times Square New Year's Eve 2024 Celebration, Listening To These 5 Artists Make You Drive Better](https://k1047.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/GettyImages-1898234852.jpg)
(Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
For optimal driving safety, it is recommended that you listen to music in the car without headphones on and at a low volume. Adjusting the volume while behind the wheel is another distracting factor while driving.
The scores below represent the average score achieved by multiple participants listening to a particular artist during their hazard perception tests; higher scores indicate greater levels of concentration, meaning the participants identified and reacted to hazards quicker when listening to that artist.
The latter half of the top ten is as follows:
10. The 1975 — 54
9. Harry Styles — 54.5
8. Foo Fighters — 55
7. Beyonce — 55.5
6. BTS — 56.5