SALFORD, UK — Many drivers have a must-read playlist that they listen to every time they hit the road. Unfortunately, a new study reveals that some hit songs are more distracting than others when people get behind the wheel. Researchers have found that if you want to hear music while driving on those treacherous winter roads, the ‘safer’ option is Billie Eilish’s ‘bad guy’.
According to data from Spotify, commissioned and analyzed by PassMeFast, the study reveals that Eilish’s hit has the lowest “distraction score” (8.1%) among songs on the top 20 driving playlists. Popular from Spotify. That’s a list of nearly 1,500 songs!
The team ranked each track’s ability to entertain a driver based on three key points: dance, high energy and emotional charge of the music. Songs that researchers consider extremely entertaining were more energetic and emotionally charged, but had a low dance score.
The PassMeFast team averaged these scores to create an overall distraction score. Using the Spotify API’s popularity score, they then compared their list to songs with popularity over 80 to find the top 50 hits that are either “safe” or distracting.
“July” by Noah Cyrus (9.3%), “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi (10.2%) and “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars (10.3%).
‘Hi you!’ named the most entertaining driving song
“Hey Ya!” by Outkast may be a fun song to listen to and sing along to, but research shows it’s also the worst song to have while driving! “Hi you!” received a distraction score of 72.6%, followed by The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” (69.6%) and JAY-Z’s hit “Empire State of Mind” (69.5%).
“It’s not just the music that can affect driving at this time of year. In winter, the roads will be icy, snow will probably be announced and you can bet that at 4 p.m. it will already be dark,” writes the PassMeFast team in a press release.
Along with changing your driving playlist, the researchers also listed some tips for staying safe behind the wheel this winter and in bad weather.
- Keep your distance: stopping distances double on wet surfaces and are even worse on ice or snow
- Check your tires: make sure the tread depth is in good shape and consider buying winter tires before the roads freeze
- Check your lights: shorter days means using your headlights more than ever
- Stay warm: keep an extra blanket or coat in the car in case you break down and have to wait for a tow
- Use higher gears in icy conditions: upshifting gives you better control over your car
Top 10 safest driving songs:
- “nasty” – Billie Eilish (8.1%)
- “July” – Noah Cyrus (9.3%)
- “Bruising” – Lewis Capaldi (10.2%)
- “When I Was Your Man” – Bruno Mars (10.3%)
- “Love Yourself” – Justin Bieber (10.4%)
- “Dancing Alone” – Calum Scott (11.5%)
- “7 Rings” – Ariana Grande (11.6%)
- “enough for you” – Olivia Rodrigo (12.2%)
- “Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra (12.3%)
- “All About Me” – John Legend (13.4%)
Top 10 Dangerous Driving Songs:
- “Hi you!” – Outkast (72.6%)
- “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers (69.6%)
- “Empire State of Mind” – JAY-Z (69.5%)
- “Take me” – a-ha (69.4%)
- “Can’t Stop” – Red Hot Chili Peppers (69.0%)
- “Feel So Close” (Radio Edit) – Calvin Harris (68.5%)
- “You give love a bad name” – Calvin Harris (68.5%)
- “Bring Me to Life” – Evanescence (67.3%)
- “Levitation” – Dua Lipa (67.2%)
- “Dusk Till Dawn” (Radio Edit) – ZAYN (66.2%)
