Music and Driving

"Music is the shorthand of emotion" ~ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Some parents think that driving with the car radio on is a distraction and most teens swear that they can't drive without it.

I've found that the answer depends on several variables. First we have to look at the teen's temperament and capability. What kind of person is this new driver? Is he easily distractable? If so the radio/CD player is not appropriate. Does your new driver have superb powers of concentration? Then a musical background (and I emphasize background) might help keep driver and parent calm during training drives. Having the sound system in operation certainly reflects a more realistic driving scenario.

The driving school at which I instruct actually encourages the use of the radio exactly because it is more realistic. Whenever we're reviewing "old" material or practicing maneuvers that the student feels confident executing, I'll have the music playing at a medium to low volume. When we start work on something new or find ourselves driving in a high pressure situation the music gets switched off so we can both concentrate.

The other thing you have to consider is the type of music being played. I found an interesting article that relates musical beats per minute to the driver's emotional state and performance.

In 2002 Warren Brodsky, an Israeli researcher, said drivers who listen to fast music in their cars may have more than twice as many accidents as those listening to slower tracks.

He put a group of 28 students through their paces on a driving simulator. Each student drove round the virtual streets of Chicago while listening to different pieces of music, or none at all. The students had an average of seven years' driving experience.

Brodsky chose music with a variety of styles, ranging from laid-back George Benson ballads to the ultra-fast numbers beloved of clubbers. The tempo ranged from a slow 60 beats per minute up to a fast and furious 120 beats per minute or more. All the music was played relatively loudly to maximize its effect.

As the tempo increased, Brodsky found drivers took more risks, such as jumping red lights, and had more accidents. When listening to up-tempo pieces, they were twice as likely to jump a red light as those who were not listening to music. And drivers had more than twice as many accidents when they were listening to fast tempos as when they listened to slow or medium-paced numbers.

I concur with Brodsky's findings. I have seen students begin to drive faster when the musical tempo increased and I have seen them slow when we switched to a more mellow tune. Parents might consider using music as a remote control for leadfooted teens.

Anyway, the decision to listen to music should be based on the individuals involved. If you decide to enjoy the tunes consider volume and tempo.

Let The Other Guy Merge

"We shall show mercy, but we shall not ask for it" ~ Winston Churchill

We did some expressway driving yesterday. Alfonso had driven on limited access highways with his parents on several occasions already so he was highly confident going there with me.

He did a pretty competent job too. He merged in well. He executed all lane changes smoothly. He was comfortable with the high speeds. He kept the Malibu centered in his lane - even in curves. He appeared to have a good handle on this kind of driving. He and his parents had put a lot of good work into this.

Just one flaw. When driving in the right lane near merge areas, he didn't want to adjust his speed to help the entering traffic come onto the roadway. On the contrary, he charged into them like he was Vince Papale (from the movie, Invincible) on kick-off coverage - ignoring my commands to slow down.

"Ease off, Boyo!"

I finally intervened by applying the instructor brakes from my side of the car.

"What are you trying to do to this white van?!"

The van lumbers onto the expressway just a foot or two in front of us.

"He's supposed to yield to us!" exclaims Alfonso.

"You need to lighten up and let these people merge in. And you're supposed to drive safely. What was he supposed to do? Jam on his brakes and be rear-ended? Drive onto the shoulder? Or crash into us?"

How I despise youthful arrogance.

Anyway, Alfonso got sucked into that cry-baby blame game I mentioned a few posts ago.

People, Parents, Teens, Fellow Drivers! Lend me your ear! We need to shuck this "it's the other guy's fault" mentality. If you see a problem developing, you are the one responsible for taking action to avoid collision. Don't depend on the other drivers. They just might not come through for you. Take ownership of the situation.

Do it...and you go home to your loved ones.

Do it not...and your loved ones go to your funeral.

I'm Not Going Too Fast!! I'm Right At The Limit!

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed" ~ Charles Darwin

Young Alfonso is driving 50 mph, the posted speed limit on this stretch of Rte 59. We're closing in fast on the Dodge Ram to our front.

"Time to start slowing down, kiddo." I say matter of factly.

"Why, I'm right at the speed limit!" he complains.

"Yeah, but the guy in front of us isn't and we're not playing tag. Do you think we can make this Malibu jump over him?"

"Oh!" says Alfonso as he brakes gently - just 4 seconds behind the Ram. Not a bad interval, but not as good as the 12 second gap we had once enjoyed.

I suppose most people just expect things to unfold exactly according to their plans and forget that sometimes we have to adapt to less than ideal conditions.

The guys who designed the roads posted those speed limits for ideal conditions. Ideal usually meaning dry straight aways with maximum traction, perfect visibility, and little or no traffic.

When was the last time you drove under ideal conditions? Yeah, just what I thought.

That means that you are not going to be driving the posted speed limit in traffic jams, blizzards, monsoons, or fog banks. It also means you're going to reduce your speed (that's fancy talk for slow down) before you drive into a curve.

Basically you have to remember the STV formula. If you're driving in tight areas and space is at a premium - slow down. If the road is slick and you don't have much traction - slow down. If the rain is coming down in sheets and your visibility to the front is a mere fifty feet - slow down. The posted speed limit no longer applies.

Adapt to the situation and prevail.