Riding Along In My Automobile: Musically-Induced Emotions and Driving Behaviour

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The emotional states, attitudes and awareness of drivers is increasingly being acknowledged as the principal cause of serious traffic accidents; the largest cause of fatality among young adults with a compound cost to their families and communities. Drivers have listened to music as stimulant and distraction since the early days of car audio in the 1930s, and more widely since the 1960s when the technology became far more widely available. It is telling that, whilst there is currently much research effort directed at understanding a range of in-car distractions such as mobile phones and sat-nav devices, there has been a relative absence of targeted research examining the effects of the emotional states brought about through music on driving behaviour and performance.Laboratory tests have found that music can interfere with and shape mental processing. Significantly, the effects in question are very much dependent on the task being performed, and the person performing it. In this project, we aim to investigate the effects of emotional states induced through music on driving behaviour and performance across a range of scenarios. Some of these effects may be positive - for instance, stimulating an otherwise tired driver - whilst others may be negative, such as causing a distraction from the road ahead. The research will address a number of questions: Under what driving conditions do musically-induced emotions influence performance? Which kinds of music are likely to impact upon the safety of drivers, passengers, and other road users? Does music improve alertness or driving performance in any way? Are such effects similar for the young and the old, and for both males and females?Brunel University London has formed a partnership with the national Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), insurers Direct Line PLC, and the Dundee Science Centre (organisers of the annual Dundee Science Festival). The programme entails an innovative sequence of studies aiming to explore the effects of emotions and attitudes on drivers. The studies will take place in a state-of-the-art driving simulator based around a modified road car. The sophisticated battery of measures includes motion sensors, an eye-movement capture system, brain monitors, expert interviews, and driving performance assessments focussing on accuracy, decision-making, and the timely response to critical and unexpected events. The team consists of Dr Costas Karageorghis alongside the TRL's Professor Nick Reed. For two decades, Karageorghis has led internationally-renowned research into the effects of music in various physical activity contexts from healthcare to gymnasia-based exercise. Having developed an experimental and theoretical paradigm to account for music's emotional and motivational power, Karageorghis and his fellow scientists aim to apply this expertise in a highly prevalent social space in which considerations of risk are paramount, that of the public road. In both contexts, music is used as a form of distraction, a means to improve emotions, and a stimulus. Both Direct Line PLC and the annual Dundee Science Centre are providing dissemination opportunities for the project, which will engage the driving public with the new findings. This novel programme of research has been meticulously designed to address fundamental questions connected to driving psychology with the aim of aiding policy makers, while feeding in to safety guidelines, product development and driver education. With music playing such a ubiquitous role in the experience of car ownership, especially among the young, formal and revealing investigation of the way that music alters driving behaviour is timely. The ultimate aim is to prime public awareness and stimulate debate, contribute towards improvements in road safety, and thus play an indirect role in preventing accidents and their associated casualties.