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Table of Contents Reaction to Mr. Miyoshi?s Post Reaction to Mr. Shintani?s Post Reaction to Brian Haimerman?s Post Reaction to Kristin Evert?s Post Reaction to Tami Hashimoto?s Post Reaction to Cris Burlem?s Post Reaction to Wilfred Lee?s Post Usenet and Web Searches and Links CSS Engine and Site Index Searches and Links
Mr. Sasabe wrote that he had been cited for speeding twice and that both times he had been listening to his music and did not realize how fast he was going. He further reports that when his favorite music comes on, he "just loses himself". He then describes an occasion when the music was not on his car and he remarked to himself how calm and relaxed he became and suggested that people stop listening to music while driving on occasion. I don?t agree with Mr. Sasabe?s attribution of his poor driving habits to the effect his music had on him. Music, depending on the type, can either be relaxing or exciting. If he becomes so excited when listening to his music that he forgets the rules of the road, maybe it is better for him to turn the radio off and save his music listening for a more appropriate time and place to "lose" himself. My guess is that Mr. Sasabe?s driving style is unrelated to his music listening and is merely a poor habit ingrained in him during his experience as a driver through the independence and power that operating a motor vehicle suggests. Reaction to Mr. Miyoshi?s Post Mr. Miyoshi posed the following question: Does rock music make us more aggressive and slow methodical music make us a better driver? The answer, in my opinion to the latter part of the question is no. As for whether rock music makes us more aggressive, Mr. Miyoshi is correct that it has the power to effect an increase in adrenaline flow and heart rate. Does that necessarily equate to a negative effect on our driving skills? No. We do not in fact "lose some of our senses" as Mr. Miyoshi suggests. Music in the car, at a reasonable, even a reasonably loud volume is not an overpowering stimulus. There are many stimuli which we absorb while operating a vehicle, all of which require attention. If music increases adrenaline flow and heart rate, might that not have a positive effect on our driving skills? Fear is a human instinct characterized by these same effects and designed to aid in our ability to perform a task under a particular condition. Mr. Miyoshi describes the effect of turning the music off as being meditative. I find that when I am meditative or lost in thought on the road, I am less aware of road conditions and the actions of other vehicles in my vicinity. People often miss turns and say they were lost in thought. Music that promotes a physiological stimulation may in fact help keep us aware, on edge just enough that we pay attention to what is going on around us rather than what?s in our own heads. Adrenaline and blood flow are design mechanisms that function as physiological motivators. I don?t want to be totally relaxed in the car, I may as well be asleep. It could go the other way; too much stimulation could cause anxiety and inhibit reflexes, but I haven?t found a song yet that could freak me out to the point I couldn?t drive, and if I did I would seek professional help. Reaction to Mr. Shintani?s Post I disagree strongly with the correlation Mr. Shintani draws between music and driving style. He states that he listens to music with a powerful beat when he *wants* to drive fast or a mellow groove when he *wants* to relax while driving. He also says that he observes poor driving habits in others who have been listening to heavy metal. I propose that those people who drive poorly while or after listening to heavy metal music have a predisposition to aggressive behavior of all means which dictates their choice in music just as Mr. Shintani?s predisposition to drive fast or mellow dictates his choice of sounds in his car. Driving style is a personality issue. Those who drive aggressively often act as such in other circumstances and often listen to more aggressive music. These are all personality indicators, not cause and effect relationships. It may be that music may promote this aggression in a car, it certainly does not inhibit it, but music can?t make someone do something he or she wouldn?t do ordinarily. Reaction to Brian Haimerman?s Post I took the same History of Rock and Roll class (side note: It?s a GREAT class, everyone who digs music should take it.) and Brian is exactly right. Music does have a physiological effect on us, and the louder the music is the more of an effect it has on us. Music is vibratory energy that moves through our bodies, not just our auditory channels. It can excite us and give us energy which we channel by tapping our feet, dancing, singing, or flooring the accelerator. How we channel that energy is a choice and we as responsible adults have know when and where different reactions are appropriate. If a good song comes on in a department store and it makes you feel like dancing, you don?t get down and funky in the hardware section. You tap your feet, or you hum. If it comes on in the car, you can sing or do whatever it is you choose to do, but if you drive dangerously it remains your choice and can?t be blamed on the music. Reaction to Kristin Evert?s Post Kristin seems to have the right idea and illustrates what I have been saying all along. She enjoys music and she enjoys it loud, but she remains a cautious driver. She also says that "slow sappy" music makes her sleepy. My point exactly! This meditative state people keep referring to when there is either slow music or none at all may be as harmful as they suggest loud crashing music could be. Does slow music dull the senses and slow reflexes? Some music, such as the flute music and Ghandarva Veda Mary mentioned, are specifically designed to promote calm in any situation. If Mary feels a heightened level of aggression in the car, it may be helpful for her to listen to meditative music. For the average person who does not feel this heightened aggression this music may be too calming and dull the senses, slowing driving reflexes. Self-meditation is a good mechanism to reduce anxiety in any situation. It seems that driving has begun to cause her a level of anxiety which she hopes to counteract with music. This is useful in many situations, but is not the answer to every driver?s problem. Mary chooses not to be so aggressive and uses music as a tool to aid her in that decision. There is no mention of music that made her aggressive in the first place. Reaction to Tami Hashimoto?s Post Tami reports that music helps her to relax and feel calm when she is driving, easing her anxiety and reducing her frustration. I am inclined to wonder what type of music she listens to that she feels makes her better able to tolerate other drivers. I also wonder what her definition of relaxation is. Patience and physiological calm are quite different. If her body is relaxed, how are her reflexes? Reaction to Cris Burlem?s Post Cris seems to believe that the radio exacerbates frustration while driving and that turning the radio off helps focus concentration. For some people music can be a distraction and for those an a.m. radio with one paper speaker is all the sound equipment they need invest in. The trick to driving is the ability to concentrate on the road without stressing yourself out. Some people are more nervous drivers and can?t handle conversation in the car or any other distractions. They need to be careful and drive safely. Reaction to Wilfred Lee?s Post I take exception to Wilfred?s proposal that if I don?t believe the correlation between fast music and fast driving that I try listening to classical music and driving slow. When I had a car, I often listened to classical music very loudly and drove like a bat out of hell. Now that I ride a motorcycle and have no music at all, I still drive fast. We react to music how we choose to react based on our own individual personalities. Not everyone reacts to classical music the same. Not everyone reacts to rock music the same. Just because you are more excited and your heart is pumping faster does not mean that you will drive quickly. People who feel a natural trepidation about driving in traffic often feel the effects of anxiety such as increased heart rate and adrenaline flow but do not drive fast. Music is not an excuse for excessive speed or aggression on the road while operating a motor vehicle. It is assumed when a driver is licensed that he or she is responsible enough to make proper and safe decisions concerning how to operate the vehicle safely. Many distractions exist inside and outside of a moving vehicle. Children crying in the background may cause distraction or physiological excitement like the symptoms described by G7 in response to their music listening. A responsible adult is aware and continues to drive safely knowing their responsibility over the lives of their young passengers. The excitement of a good song or a loud crashing one does not override the driver?s responsibility for his or her own safety and that of those in the car and in those around him. We choose when and how we react through self-control and contextual awareness. It is not appropriate to outlet excitement in a car by flooring the accelerator, nor is it justified to blame such irresponsible behavior on the music played in the car. I myself am an aggressive driver, and yes, I do listen to my music loudly when I am in a car. I very often wanted to step on it whenever the intro to Nirvana?s "Breed" played on my tape deck but I took into consideration the road environment I would find myself in and drive according to the conditions of the road and not those inside my car. Whether I had music on loudly, softly, or not at all, my driving habits remained the same. Speeding and aggression are bad habits gained through the sense of power and independence inherent in operating a big machine. Music in fact often puts me in a good mood when it?s a song I particularly enjoy, and the physiological excitement may indeed sharpen my reflexes to keep me from relaxing too much to the point of losing some awareness. I find myself quite capable of focusing on a task with loud music playing. Right now for instance I am typing my usual 70 wpm and writing this report while Jacob Miller blares from a speaker right next to my desk. Not a typo here! And it wouldn?t matter if it was Jacob Miller or Guttermouth, it would be just the same. I can remember being a young child sitting in the back of my dad?s car and whenever John Cougar Mellencamp?s "Jack and Diane" would come on Pop would turn it up so loud the windows would vibrate. My dad is an excellent driver, and a very passive mellow one at that, who has to date never been in an accident (knock on wood). When I was in high school and was allowed to take my parents? car alone the first thing I would do was pop a tape in and when I got out of earshot from home I cranked that puppy up full watts. The car is the only place I can get away with playing my music as loud as I want and I take full advantage of the opportunity whenever I command four wheels. I drive fast, but that?s fitting to my personality, as is my music choice. And I?ve not been in a wreck yet either (knock wood). I like to think I am a good driver, but I know that I take risks, and I am aware they are a conscious choice. I know how to drive more responsibly and I practice doing so when the situation calls for extra caution, as in my example of driving with children in the car. I still crank the tunes though.
Note: All original G7 posts referred to in this section can be found in their entirety in the "Instructions for this Report" section in the Table of Contents. Usenet and Web Searches and Links
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As of yet little has been posted. Of those reports that have been posted, I am glad to see that I am not the only person in class who is having difficulty finding results that match both driving and music though one or the other comes through in plentiful abundance. I hope that future generations when given this assignment will read my document and gain a different approach to the subject. It seems that the majority of reports I read in doing this assignment took the position that music does have an effect, usually thought to be negative, on a person?s ability to drive. Those in future generations may wish to approach the idea differently by examining the personality correlation between the type of music listened to and the style of driving favored. Rather than assign a cause and effect relationship to driving style and music, perhaps students in the coming years will look at the underlying personality which is the cause of both effects: driving style and choice of music. |
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