These songs are most dangerous while driving. The train drivers’ strike in Germany ends prematurely

Whether on the way to work, after work or during a road trip on holiday – music is a constant companion while driving. Your favorite songs can make starting the day easier, make longer trips more bearable, or simply provide some entertainment.

The combination of high speed and loud music gives many people a special kick. If you sing along from the depths of your soul, it can be very liberating. But music can not only be a welcome pastime while driving, it can also become a risk factor. Research has long shown that loud music distracts the person behind the wheel.

But are there any songs that require special caution in this situation? A comparison service has now created a ranking for this.

The most dangerous songs in the rankings

The Australian portal “Compare the Market” has identified the most dangerous songs while driving. The cult song “Dragostea din tei” by the Romanian band O-Zone took first place. The summer hit from 2004 achieved a ‘distraction score’ of 78.76 percent.

In second and third place are Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State of Mind’ with a score of 78.37 percent and the Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Pump It’ with 77.80 percent. For them, the motto is: keep your hands off – or rather: close your ears – when you are behind the wheel and do not want to be exposed to an increased risk of an accident.

What is immediately noticeable when you look at the chosen songs: they are almost all very catchy tunes. In addition to Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’ film with Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars’ ‘Lazy Song’, evergreens such as ‘Toxic’ by pop icon Britney Spears also made it into the top 20.

German-speaking artist in top 10

Curious: Even an artist from German-speaking countries is represented in the ranking: DJ Ötzi’s “Hey Baby” is even in eighth place. Michael Jackson and Calvin Harris are most often represented in the top 20 with two songs each.

However, the criteria for the study may be a bit too simple. It would be useful – but just as difficult – to collect statistics on which songs are particularly likely to be heard during accidents. There does not necessarily have to be a causal relationship.

Questionable criteria for songs

Instead, those responsible for ‘Compare the Market’ evaluated the 500 most listened to songs while driving using an analysis tool on Spotify. They set four criteria:

Each criterion was given a value between 0 and 1. The percentage of songs is then determined at the end based on their average values ​​for the four criteria.

To what extent the top numbers identified in this way actually distract individual drivers and how many accidents they are responsible for remains unclear. Yet the result shows that it is undeniable that you can sometimes be less attentive when listening to these songs in the car at full volume.

But when you sing along to “Dragostea din tei,” never forget: “Ma-ia-hii, ma-ia-huu, ma-ia-hoo, ma-ia-hands on the wheel!”