Britain is a rhythm nation of drivers – and it's not as good as it sounds

Britain’s drivers are being distracted by the music in their motors, according to the latest research by road safety body IAM RoadSmart.

The charity surveyed 1,004 drivers and discovered that 69 per cent of them believe that listening to loud music while driving is distracting. Nonetheless almost nine in ten who took part in the survey said that they enjoy tunes on the road and 36 per cent said that music has an effect on how fast they drive.

Department for Transport statistics show that distracted driving was a contributing factor in 16,333 road incidents during 2021, with 3,700 of those distractions coming from inside the car. Excess speed was a factor in 22,130 deaths and serious injuries during the same period.

“Distracted drivers and speeding are two of the biggest contributing factors in road collision and deaths. While there are a multitude of reasons why these tragic events occur, our survey has shone a light on perhaps a less apparent reason as to why drivers may become distracted or exceed the speed limit,” said Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart.

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