Welcome to RACER Radio

For as long as I can remember, I have loved music, and I have loved cars. And for as long as I can remember, the two things have shared the same crowded corner of my heart. Before I could tie my shoes, my dad and I were blasting warbled 8-tracks of Joe Cocker, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beatles, Hendrix, Jerry Butler, Seals and Crofts, and so on. These weren’t specific choices, per se, but just what we had on hand, but that’s not to say we weren’t loving every scratchy second of every one of those decrepit nests of tape. 

All those tunes, to this day, instantly put me back in the garage with my pops. I mean, really put me back there; I smell the incorrigible gassiness of the leaky Leyland, can feel the pressure of lighting the darkness beneath the car with my flashlight, and the now-long-gone feeling of confidence that the car would certainly be fine by the time my dad was done with it. That strange comfort and simplicity of my childhood is inextricably linked to these tunes. What a gift, eh?

Those same tunes, and more, followed us out of the garage and down the road, as if melody and rhythm were required, as essential as tires or gasoline. I can’t fully explain why. It’s just one of those things for me, and I imagine for many others, too. Music and driving are linked, maybe not indelibly so, but more like a pair of oxen, yoked in order to join forces to better plow a field. Sure, one ox can plow a field, but a yoked pair will let you play drums on the steering wheel while it's getting done. OK. Wait. That's... Eh, whatever, you get it. 

How music affects the way we drive

Music in the car is special, yes. But is it a good idea? Are we being selfish or negligent by potentially distracting ourselves from the ever-present risk of driving? 

Music has power and influence. This is not up for debate. Many studies have shown that certain types of music do certain things to us psychologically and physiologically. Research into music and driving, while a bit hard to pin down with certainty, definitely suggests that certain characteristics like tempo, volume, and familiarity can all affect a driver's concentration, emotional state, and behavior behind the wheel.

Fast, loud music may encourage more aggressive driving in some circumstances. High-tempo tracks can nudge us into driving with a bit more, uh, spirit. Music could subtly encourage speeding or reduce a driver's ability to respond calmly to traffic. Volume matters, too. Music played loudly enough to drown out horns, emergency sirens, and other environmental sounds can make it harder to recognize potential hazards.

Genre alone, however, is not a reliable measure of whether music is safe for driving. A song that helps one person relax might distract or overstimulate another. This is where things move from scientific to anthropological. The relationship between music and driving is personal and subjective. There’s a bit of magic here that even data scientists can’t get their mitts around.

Familiarity seems to have more measurable positive effects than genre or volume. The songs we know well, the I-can-sing-every-word-and-play-every-drum-fill songs, provide comfort, reduce stress, and improve mood. You know this. You’ve experienced it. Familiar music requires less conscious attention than something new. This can be your justification for “liking the early records more.” These tunes not only require less attention, but can even help us focus on longer, more otherwise boring drives. That does not mean it eliminates distraction altogether, particularly when your favorite line is sung, or the key change hits right when traffic breaks. 

Perhaps the most practical effect music in the car has is in how we interface with choosing songs. Building a playlist before setting off and avoiding repeated adjustments to the stereo can not only keep you more focused and safer, but the right playlist can provide exactly the right vibes, elevating a would-be normal drive to an almost cinematic scene. It might seem silly, but if you’ve ever had just the right song come on just at the right time and your heart and mind explode with feeling and inspiration, and all that funnels down to your hands and feet and ultimately into the car, then I suspect you know exactly what a well-crafted playlist can do. 

Driving is dangerous, and life is short 

Look, driving is dangerous. There’s no two ways about it. But short of not driving at all, that risk is something we simply have to face, at least in most parts of America. Drivers should keep the volume at a reasonable level, maintain awareness of their surroundings, and prioritize the road over whatever happens to be playing through the speakers. Now, I say all that to say, there is no denying the magic of listening to the right song, in the right car, at the right volume, at just the right time. 

Music and driving share a special bond, a link that elevates both our humanity and the machine to something greater than just some animal burning other, much older animals, to get from one place to another. Adding the right music to another grocery store run, hot traffic jam, school drop-off, or road trip transforms the cycling trivialities of life into something unique, curated, experiential, and even spiritual.

And with that, RACER is launching a weekly playlist by drivers for drivers. It’s not that these songs aren’t also great at home on the record player, but they are specifically great in the car and/or garage. We hope you listen, enjoy, and find a new favorite driving song that you can sing every word of and smash the steering wheel at every drum fill.

As always, sound off in the comments with your favorite garage tunes.