‘Dangerous Songs’ You May Want to Avoid While Driving
DANGEROUS SONGS – Think your road trip playlist is harmless? A study has identified several ‘dangerous songs’ that may encourage faster driving and reduced attention.
A recent study by the Trujillo Gonzalez Law Firm has identified several popular songs that may be linked to faster driving, increased stimulation, and reduced concentration behind the wheel.
Published in September 2026, the study analyzed 30 Spotify playlists centered on road trips and driving. Researchers first identified the 50 songs that appeared most frequently across those playlists. They then examined the tempo of each song, measured in beats per minute (BPM), before ranking the tracks according to their speed.
The study pointed to songs with tempos of 120 BPM or higher as potentially problematic for drivers. According to the researchers, faster music may contribute to increased driving speeds, reduced attention, and a higher possibility of making mistakes.
Based on those findings, the firm listed 10 songs it considered the “most dangerous songs to have” on a driving playlist. The selections include:
- “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
- “Wonderwall” by Oasis
- “STAY” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber
- “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol
- “One Way Or Another” by Blondie
- “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
- “Hey Ya!” by Outkast
- “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
- “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
- “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars
Among the tracks, “Shape of You” stood out for having a reported tempo of 192 BPM. The song also recorded an 81% “danceability” rating in the study.
“‘Shape of You’ is the highest-tempo song commonly found on driving playlists. At 192 BPM, it plays faster than almost any other mainstream track, about the same pace as a fast drum-and-bass record,” the law firm said.
“That puts it well above the 120 BPM mark that researchers associate with overstimulation at the wheel. The song appeared on 24 of 30 Spotify road-trip playlists and has been streamed over 5 billion times, meaning it’s part of everyday driving for millions of people,” it added.
“Wonderwall” was also highlighted as a track that could be overstimulating during a road trip. Meanwhile, “Happy” had one of the highest danceability ratings at 95%, suggesting that its upbeat rhythm could make it harder for some drivers to remain still and focused.
A car accident lawyer from Trujillo Gonzalez explained that music can “affect” the autonomic nervous system, which controls functions including heart rate and stress responses.
“Fast, loud tracks push it into a higher gear, and drivers start behaving more aggressively without noticing. There’s also something called rhythmic entrainment, where your behavior subconsciously syncs to the beat you’re hearing,” the lawyer said.
“If a song is running at 130 BPM, your driving speed will quietly go up to match it. The best range for safe driving is between 60 and 100 BPM, fast enough to stay alert, and slow enough to avoid overstimulation,” the lawyer added.
The lawyer also cautioned against music that is extremely slow.
“Go too far below that, into very slow or ambient music, and the opposite problem appears: drowsiness, faded focus, and slower reaction times,” the lawyer further said.
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