The experts draw different conclusions in studying sounds and safety behind the wheel. Sometimes, silence is best.
Common sense says yes.
But experts who have researched music and driving performance in simulated settings have come to differing conclusions. Some have found that the right kind of music can improve one's driving, whereas others say driving in silence is best. But a personal liking for the music being played, they also found, did improve subjects' driving performance. Drivers who faced heavy traffic, listening to self-selected music they liked, reported being much less stressed than those in heavy traffic with no music. Marilyn Turner, a Wichita State University psychologist, tested 90 men and women, ages 18 to 49, who sat in driving simulators and were told to brake when the red light came on.