... driven to distraction? ...

chanced upon this article from yahoo cars! it's quite a interesting one, i must say..

Experts reveal the dangers of listening to music whilst driving in your car, but there are benefits too.

Most of us enjoy listening to music whilst driving, but be careful what you listen to and how loud - making the wrong choices can have deadly consequences, according to experts.

It probably won't come as a surprise to hear that the tempo of music can affect the speed and reliability of your driving. Researchers at an Israeli university proved the link back in 2002.

They found that drivers listening to fast-paced tracks (120 beats per minute or more) had twice as many accidents as those listening to slower music. And those drivers are twice as likely to drive through a red light as drivers not listening to music at all.

'In general, if music is above 60 beats per minute, listeners experience a faster heart rate and increased blood pressure,' says consultant psychologist Conrad King. 'It doesn't matter if you listen to opera, classical or the latest rave music. It's the speed of the beat that counts.'

More recent research, carried out at Memorial University in Canada, has found that listening to music too loud can seriously hamper reaction times and cause accidents.

The study found that participants took an average of 20% longer than normal to perform physical and mental tasks when listening at 95 decibels. That's a potentially lethal delay for motorists, even at modest speeds. (As a guide, the typical car stereo has a maximum volume of about 110 decibels, but the loudest can reach 170 decibels or more.)

But it's not all bad news. Dr Nicola Dibben, a music psychologist from the University of Sheffield, UK, has carried out extensive research on the subject of in-car music on behalf on an insurance company.

She confirms that listening to music helps drivers relax, concentrate and keep alert, and is far more effective than silence, conversation or listening to talk radio. In fact, she advocates singing along too.

'Singing while driving stimulates not only the mind but also the body which, in turn, produces heightened alertness and reduced fatigue,' says Dibben. 'Singing may be less distracting than conversation because drivers recall words to songs they already know, or because it is fairly easy to learn the words to music where it uses repeated lyrics.

For safe listening in your car, follow these simple tips:

• Stick to mid-paced music if you want to keep calm in stressful driving situations - there's a reason why many taxi drivers choose it!
• To ensure a calm and positive frame of mind, choose music which evokes pleasant memories. You probably have favourite summer tunes, for example.
• Avoid songs with overly aggressive lyrics. For many, tracks like Prodigy's 'Firestarter' are less than ideal.
• Avoid music which is overly complex (eg songs with little repetition or, say, unusual remixes of well-known tracks) as they can be highly distracting.
• If going on a long journey, select music which varies in volume, tempo and style - it will stop you getting bored and help increase awareness.
• Listen at a comfortable volume level. Loud music will distract you - and, if really loud, annoy other drivers too.
• Never wear earphones or headphones whilst driving. If you want to listen to your MP3 player, plug it into your car stereo if you can.
• Do not attempt to change a CD whilst driving at speed. If you need to change volume or radio station, don't take your eyes off the road.
• Sing along to the music you choose if you know it well enough, but don't pretend you're on stage.
• Resist the urge to play air guitar - or, indeed, any other 'air' instrument - whilst driving. 'Playing' the car door, with your arm out of the window, isn't recommended either..