Talk radio, music genres have effect on driving behaviour, survey says

What someone is listening to while driving may have an impact on their behaviours, from collisions to speeding tickets, notes a new survey from insurance quote comparison website Kanetix.

Music genre isn’t the only element that might be having an impact on speed, suggests the study, based on an online survey of about 1000 Canadian adults.

Nearly half (49%) of drivers who listen to talk radio have had one to three speeding tickets, versus 40% of the driving population, according to Kanetix. That was followed closely by drivers who listen to Metal music, at 48%.

However, among drivers with more than four speeding tickets, those who listened to R&B took the lead at 16%, followed by Classic Rock listeners (12%) and Country listeners (11%).

The survey suggests that 2% of Canadians have been charged with careless driving, but broken down by music genre, 6% of Hip Hop listeners and 4% of Metal listeners have.

Hip Hop listeners are also the most likely to have been charged with stunt driving at 4%, compared to 1% overall, Kanetix noted.

When it comes to drinking and driving, the study suggests that Country and Classic Rock listeners are more likely to have been charged with a DUI than those who listen to Pop/Top 40 or Alternative Rock.

Regardless of music preference, about 20% of Canadians have been at fault in one accident, but among talk radio listeners, that increases to 25%.

Hip Hop and R&B listeners top the list when it comes to collisions, with 60% claiming to have been in an at fault accident, compared to only 53% nationally.

Of those who have never been in an at-fault accident, they’re likely tuning into Alternative Rock, Oldies, Country or Classic Rock, Kanetix said.