Your Stereo Could Lead to a Wreck
Have you ever been looking for an address, and you reach out to turn down the radio? It’s not just an old person thing – there’s actually some science behind why we would instinctively minimize the noise as we’re trying to focus on something else.
If we turn off the music when we’re looking for an address, imagine how much more distracted we are when we crank up the tunes while driving. Today, the Car Crash Captain looks into how loud music causes car crashes.
Turning up the Tunes Means Distracted Driving
Just the act of listening may not fall into the exact category of “distracted driving” as most people think of distracted as texting while driving. But if you’re focusing on adjusting the radio, your eyes are off the road; you’re distracted from what’s going on.
The implications, however, go further than merely being distracted from seeing the road.
- Concentration is Diminished – When your favorite song comes on, what do you do? You belt out the lyrics of course! When you’re concentrating on the song, even if your eyes are on the road, your brain is being pulled in multiple directions. Even if you see an impending danger, it takes you a bit longer to process it as you are focusing on what the music is doing.
- Reaction Time is Delayed – Driving while tired leads to delayed reaction time. Driving impaired leads to delayed reaction time. Driving while listening to loud music… also leads to a delayed reaction time. A study done in the early 2000’s shows that your reaction time can be delayed by as much as 20% when listening to loud music. That reduction in reaction is more than enough to cause a fatal crash.
- Hearing is Impaired – Of course if the music is loud, you’re not going to be able to hear much else. Does it really matter, though? If you’re about to hit someone and they honk, you can’t hear their horn. If you’re driving and an emergency vehicle is coming up blasting their siren, you might not be able to get out of the way quickly.
- Mind is Elsewhere – When you hear your favorite comfort song, what do you do? Often you close your eyes, sway with the music, maybe sing along a bit. Of course, you can’t do two of those three actions while you’re driving. Even closing your eyes to enjoy the melody for a second or two is enough to miss a major action on the roadway.
Your Music Can Distract Other Drivers
Texas law says your music shouldn’t be too loud. How loud is too loud? If you’re driving, and your music can be heard from more than 50 feet away, that music is too loud. Not only is that dangerous because of the reasons we just listed, it’s also dangerous to other drivers.
Have you ever pulled up to a stop and felt your vehicle vibrate with the bass coming from someone else’s vehicle? It’s often disconcerting and annoying, and you can’t wait to get away from them. Now, however, your focus is off the road. You’re trying to locate which vehicle is the loud one, determine which direction they’re heading, figure out if you need to speed up or slow down to get away from them. This all takes your concentration off of what you should be doing: driving.
If you have your music cranked up loudly, you’re distracting other drivers who may be following the law – that distraction could cause them to crash.
Herbert Law Group is on Your Side
Insurance companies want to pay out the smallest claim settlement possible. They have a lot of tactics to “encourage” you to settle quickly so you aren’t able to fully see what the financial implications of the wreck actually are.
We are experienced in dealing with insurance companies. We know what your wreck is “worth” and we’ll fight for you to get what you actually need to heal from injuries sustained in a car wreck.
Let’s talk about what happened. A free phone call lets us know exactly how we can help you, and we can get things started on the recovery process. Call our offices at 214-414-3808, or fill out the contact form on our site and we’ll reach out to you.