Singing While Driving Can Lead To More Accidents Per Year, Study Finds
(ALICE@97.3) - Next time you get into an fender bender, you might just want to blame your favorite artist. It seems that singing while driving can lead to more accidents, a new study finds.
The science journal, Accident Analysis and Prevention, found that drivers who sing along to the radio or their favorite CD have slower reaction times than those who just listen to music.
Done by psychologists in Australia, the study tested 21 drivers between the ages of 18 and 55 on how quickly they reacted to dangerous situations. They found that singing while driving slows down a driver's response time, especially when they are driving at high speeds.
Though it's true that belting out the classics can lead to more accidents, the study also says that it didn't seem to affect driving performance any more than simply listening to music could. Both are distracting to a driver as the study explained: 'Although secondary tasks vary in the degree to which they distract the driver, any activity that competes for the attention of the driver has the potential to degrade driving performance and may have serious consequences for road safety.'
In a similar study done in Britain, the most common distraction for drivers is summertime attire.
Drivers checking out members of the opposite sex cause nearly one million accidents per year. According to the study, the numbers increase once the weather gets warmer and people decide to wear fewer clothes.
While all of this seems a little farfetched, sixty percent of men admit to checking out members of the opposite sex while driving. Only 12 percent of women said that they ogle men while driving.
But it's not just real men and women that offer distraction, 21 percent of drivers admitted that they often can't tear their eyes away from ads on the road that feature attractive models.
So, how would you feel if you found out your significant other got into an accident because he or she was checking someone else out?
And of course, what is your favorite song to belt out in the car?
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