Effects of Self-Selected Music Tempo on Young Drivers’ Speed and Acceleration

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Civil Engineering Department, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

Abstract

This study examined the effects of participant-selected music on driving behavior using a driving simulator with 30 young male participants aged 20 to 25. Each participant drove under three conditions: no music, high-tempo music, and low-tempo music. Speed and acceleration data were recorded, and aggressive driving behavior was assessed via a questionnaire. Results showed that high-tempo music significantly increased average driving speed compared to no music, while low-tempo music had no effect. For speeds above 40 km/h (critical for pedestrian safety), both high- and low-tempo music influenced speed, with high-tempo increasing and low-tempo decreasing it. However, music type did not significantly affect maximum positive acceleration. Aggressive driving behavior, measured by questionnaire scores, showed no correlation with the impact of music on speed. The study also noted limitations in the simulator’s ability to replicate braking sensations, leading to the exclusion of negative acceleration data. Statistical analyses (ANOVA and Tukey tests) confirmed significant differences in speed between high-tempo music and other conditions but no notable effects on acceleration or aggressive behavior. The findings suggest that music tempo can alter driving speed, particularly at higher velocities, but does not uniformly impact other driving metrics or aggression levels.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Pêcher, C., Lemercier, C., Cellier, J.-M. Emotions drive attention: Effects on driver’s behaviour. Safety Science, 2009; 47: 1254–1259. doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2009.03.011.
  2. Dalton, B. H. The effects of sound types and volumes on simulated driving performance, simple vigilance and heart rate [Master's Thesis]. St. John's (CA): Memorial University of Newfoundland; 2006.
  3. Brodsky, W. The effects of music tempo on simulated driving performance and vehicular control. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2001; 4: 219–241. doi:10.1016/S1369-8478(01)00025-0.
  4. Bucchi, A., Sangiorgi, C., Vignali, V. Traffic Psychology and Driver Behavior. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012; 53: 972–979. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.946.
  5. Cook, T., Roy, A., Welker, K. Music as an emotion regulation strategy: An examination of genres of music and their roles in emotion regulation. Psychology of Music, 2017; 47: 144–154. doi:10.1177/0305735617734627.
  6. Noetel, M., Griffith, S., Delaney, O., Sanders, T., Parker, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., Lonsdale, C. Video Improves Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Review. Review of Educational Research, 2021; 91: 204–236. doi:10.3102/0034654321990713.
  7. Babić, D., Babić, D., Sucha, M., Stanić, V., Toman, M. The influence of music genres on the driving behaviour of young drivers and their visual scanning of the environment. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2021; 81: 396–407. doi:10.1016/j.trf.2021.07.001.
  8. Ünal, A. B., Steg, L., Epstude, K. The influence of music on mental effort and driving performance. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2012; 48: 271–278. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2012.01.022.
  9. Widén, S., Erlandsson, S. Risk perception in musical settings—a qualitative study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2007; 2: 33–44. doi:10.1080/17482620601121169.
  10. Ünal, A. B., de Waard, D., Epstude, K., Steg, L. Driving with music: Effects on arousal and performance. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2013; 21: 52–65. doi:10.1016/j.trf.2013.09.004.
  11. Farrell, J. The Effect of Increasing Music Volume on Reaction Time. The Journal of Science and Medicine, 2021; 3: 1–5. doi:10.37714/josam.v3i0.62.
  12. Rijwan, M. Effect of Music Listening on Brake Reaction Time (A Case Study of Koteshwor - Sallaghari Road Section). Patan (NP): Institute of Engineering, Central Pulchowk Campus; 2016.
  13. Wang, D., Jimison, Z., Richard, D., Chuan, C.-H. Effect of Listening to Music as a Function of Driving Complexity: A Simulator Study on the Differing Effects of Music on Different Driving Tasks. In: Proceedings of the international driving symposium on human factors in driver assessment, training and vehicle design; 2015; Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 253–259. doi:10.17077/drivingassessment.1580.
  14. Kasprzak, E. Does listening to favourite music influence emotional experiences and reaction time of amateur drivers? Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 2023; 27: 399–418. doi:10.34767/PFP.2022.04.02.
  15. Niu, J., Ma, C., Liu, J., Li, L., Hu, T., Ran, L. Is music a mediator impacting car following when driver’s personalities are considered? Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2020; 147: 105774. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2020.105774.
  16. Navarro, J., Osiurak, F., Gaujoux, V., Ouimet, M. C., Reynaud, E. Driving Under the Influence: How Music Listening Affects Driving Behaviors. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2019; 145: e58342. doi:10.3791/58342.
  17. Jimison, Z. N. The Effect of Music Familiarity on Driving: A Simulated Study of the Impact of Music Familiarity Under Different Driving Conditions [Master's Thesis]. Jacksonville (FL): University of North Florida; 2014.
  18. Ghojazadeh, M., Farhoudi, M., Rezaei, M., Rahnemayan, S., Narimani, M., Sadeghi-Bazargani, H. Effect of music on driving performance and physiological and psychological indicators: A systematic review and meta-analysis study. Health Promot Perspect, 2023; 13: 267–279. doi:10.34172/hpp.2023.32.
  19. Karageorghis, C. I., Mouchlianitis, E., Payre, W., Kuan, G., Howard, L. W., Reed, N., Parkes, A. M. Psychological, psychophysiological and behavioural effects of participant-selected vs. researcher-selected music in simulated urban driving. Applied ergonomics, 2021; 96: 103436. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103436.
  20. Javanbakht, N., Mirbaha, B. From Traits to Speed Control: Engineering Insights from a Driving-Simulator Hazard Scenario. Contributions of Science and Technology for Engineering, 2026; 3: 10–19. doi:10.22080/cste.2025.29839.1075.
  21. Javanbakht, N., Mirbaha, B. A model for evaluating drivers' mean speed: using psychological and driving simulator data. Numerical Methods in Civil Engineering, 2023; 8: 48–55. doi:10.61186/NMCE.2303.1027.
  22. Javanbakht, N., Mirbaha, B. Evaluating Drivers’ Response to Road Hazard: A Simulation Study. Advances in Civil Engineering, 2024; 2024: 6788857. doi:10.1155/2024/6788857.
  23. Ramezani-Khansari, E., Tabibi, M., Moghadas Nejad, F., Mesbah, M. Comparing the Effect of Age, Gender, and Desired Speed on Car-Following Behavior by Using Driving Simulator. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2021; 2021: 9922321. doi:10.1155/2021/9922321.
  24. Ramezani-Khansari, E., Tabibi, M., Moghadas Nejad, F. Estimating Lane Change Duration for Overtaking in Nonlane-Based Driving Behavior by Local Linear Model Trees (LOLIMOT). Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2021; 2021: 4388776. doi:10.1155/2021/4388776.
  25. Ramezani-Khansari, E., Tabibi, M., Moghadas Nejad, F. Validating Driving Simulator for Car-Following Distance. Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering, 2021; 45: 281–290. doi:10.1007/s40996-020-00576-6.
  26. Velazquez, E. M., Mouloua, M. Understanding Aggressive Driving: The Role of Personality and Individual Differences. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2021; 65: 972–976. doi:10.1177/1071181321651345.
  27. Brodsky, W., Olivieri, D., Chekaluk, E. Music genre induced driver aggression: A case of media delinquency and risk-promoting popular culture. Music & Science, 2018; 1: 2059204317743118. doi:10.1177/2059204317743118.
  28. Hoffman, J. D., Lee, J. D., Brown, T. L., McGehee, D. V. Comparison of Driver Braking Responses in a High-Fidelity Simulator and on a Test Track. Transportation Research Record, 2002; 1803: 59–65. doi:10.3141/1803-09.
  29. Elvik, R. A re-parameterisation of the Power Model of the relationship between the speed of traffic and the number of accidents and accident victims. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2013; 50: 854–860. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2012.07.012.
  30. Aarts, L., van Schagen, I. Driving speed and the risk of road crashes: A review. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2006; 38: 215–224. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2005.07.004.
  31. Rosén, E., Sander, U. Pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2009; 41: 536–542. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2009.02.002.
  32. Boer, E. R., Kuge, N., Yamamura, T. Affording realistic stopping behavior: A cardinal challenge for driving simulators. In: 1st Human-Centered Transportation Simulation Conference; 2001 Nov 04‒07; Iowa City, Iowa.
  33. Niu, J., Ma, C., Liu, J., Li, L., Hu, T., Ran, L. “Is music a mediator impacting car following when driver’s personalities are considered,” Accid. Anal. Prev., vol. 147, p. 105774, 2020.
  34. Wang, X., Liu, S., Cai, B., Hurwitz, D., Guo, Q., Wang, X. Sample Size Study of Driving Simulator Experiment for Freeway Design Safety Evaluations. Transportation Research Record, 2023; 2677: 73–92. doi:10.1177/03611981221144296.
  35. Alonso, F., Faus, M., Riera, J. V., Fernandez-Marin, M., Useche, S. A. Effectiveness of Driving Simulators for Drivers’ Training: A Systematic Review. Applied Sciences, 2023; 13: 5266. doi:10.3390/app13095266.
  36. Li, G., Lai, W., Sui, X., Li, X., Qu, X., Zhang, T., Li, Y. Influence of traffic congestion on driver behavior in post-congestion driving. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2020; 141: 105508. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2020.105508.
  37. Ramezani-Khansari, E. Analysis of the following behavior and line changes of anxious and depressed drivers. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 2026; 17: 104294. doi:10.1016/j.asej.2026.104294.
Civil Engineering and Applied Solutions
Volume 3, Issue 2
April 2027
Pages 122-130

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 27 May 2026
  • Revise Date: 04 July 2026
  • Accept Date: 04 August 2026
  • First Publish Date: 04 August 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics