ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the effects of passively listening to the radio while driving, although it should, of course, be noted that actively interacting with the radio have been studied elsewhere. One of the most common non-essential activities that people engage in while driving is listening to the radio. Although research has shown that listening to the radio, or music in general, can affect people’s mood and other aspects of their cognitive performance in both a positive and negative manner, only limited efforts have been made to extend these findings to the domain of driving. One of the major safety concerns regarding the use of in-car stereos while driving relates to driver distraction. Other researchers have reported a modulation of mild driver aggression as a driver listens to their favourite music while driving. The majority of the laboratory-based studies of the effect of music on driving have tended to test university students.
