National Highways - T.R.I.P.
The music you hear on the radio has a huge impact on the way you drive. Ever jumped in the car and taken off with your foot down to a rock anthem, found yourself caressing the throttle with your silky toes to a classical overture, cornering a bit too hard to some drill, or riding someone’s bumper with a raging soul track playing out like a getaway scene from Baby Driver?
Research shows music changes how fast we drive, how sharply we steer, how hard we brake, and how close we’re willing to get to the car in front. Faster, louder, more intense music has been linked to higher speeds and more aggressive manoeuvres. Calmer, lower intensity tracks tend to smooth things out, steady speed, soften steering inputs. Music also shifts mood, and mood matters - which is why we chose warm reggae tones for the perfect soundtrack to a safer, more pleasurable drive.
Can sound influence the way we drive?
Music is the puppeteer of your driving. With around two thirds of UK drivers listening to music whilst behind the wheel, sound is one of the most powerful and consistent influences in the car, far more present than signs, campaigns, or messages we half notice as we pass them at 50 miles an hour.
So how do you harness that power to promote safer driving?
That’s where TRIP comes in. TRIP is a national road safety campaign from National Highways designed to get drivers thinking before they set off, not once it’s already gone wrong. It’s about small, practical actions that reduce risk and make long journeys safer, especially when people are tired, distracted, or just eager to get where they’re going.
Because a safe trip begins with T.R.I.P. And a great sound starts with DLMDD.
Can T.R.I.P. change driving behaviour?
If music can unconsciously make us drive faster, brake later, or push closer than we should, it can also be used to slow us down, calm us out, and keep us focused on the road ahead. The same channel that fuels risk can reinforce responsibility, if the message and the moment line up.
So the question isn’t whether music affects the way we drive. Anyone who has ever driven with the radio on knows it does. The real question is what we do with that knowledge.
Do we keep letting sound push us towards risk, or do we start using it to guide us safely home?
T.R.I.P. is a stroke of genius, and I dare say it might even make the Verstappens and Hamiltons of the world lose a Grand Prix or two in the name of pure, unadulterated road safety.
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