Hip-hop drives motorists into a rollercoaster of chaos: study

Motorists wanting a smooth and safe commute are advised to steer clear of hip-hop and Afrobeat tracks, which have emerged as the most distracting music genres and can race your heartbeat faster than your odometer.

R&B and gospel tend to be the least distracting, according to research commissioned by Budget Insurance, analysing newly released Spotify Wrapped data on South Africa’s most streamed songs and artists of 2023.

Researchers ranked the tunes on criteria, including loudness, beats per minute and how energetic the song is — which can affect driver focus — to get to the “distraction score”.

Three of the most-streamed South African songs scored more than 70% on the distraction scale: Mthandeni SK's Paris (79%)', Dave's Sprinter (72%) and Rema's Calm Down (72%).

Hip-hop and amapiano songs by Soa Mattrix, Gunna, Lil Durk, Lady Zamar, Drake, 21 Savage, Latinover Pounds and Kabza De Small also rank highly for distraction, “so these musical troublemakers could take your car for a wilder ride than you bargained for”, the study found.

Other songs not a good idea in rush-hour traffic include Young Thug's Business is Business and Doja Cat's Scarlet.

Kabza De Small's Isimo brings amapiano to the list, “turning your commute into a dance-off on wheels,” the study found, while Future's Wait For You may make you anything but patient with its beat. These artists' albums have average distraction scores of more than 60.

The research found that Yahyuppiyah by Uncle Waffles has the lowest distraction score of 33.92%. The artist also scores a smooth ride with Peacock Revisit. 

De Mthuda's Sgudi Snyc will sync with your ride as do home-grown gems Spirit Of Praise's gospel hit Thath'Indawo and Kelvin Momo's Sukakude.

Based on accident claims data for 2023, the safest drivers hail from the Northern Cape, Free State and Limpopo.

For cities, the best drivers are in Rustenburg, Centurion and Pietermaritzburg.

KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng recorded the highest number of car crashes, with Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town the cities with the least safe drivers.

There is a caveat though.

“When considering car accident trends over the past two years, the provinces that have seen the biggest percentage increases in number of claims were Mpumalanga (+31%), Western Cape (+22%) and Gauteng (+21%), with Centurion (+54%), Rustenburg (+39%) and Cape Town (+36%),” the insurer said.

Tips for driving like a ‘good South African’:

• Volume control: lower the beat and avoid a traffic jam in your mind. Loud music impairs your focus and prevents you picking up important traffic cues around you. So, turn down the volume and drive with clarity.
• Melodic mood booster: create a playlist or choose a radio station that uplifts your mood and encourages a relaxed mindset. R&B, gospel and amapiano are among the least distracting music genres. 
• Calm commute: avoid raging symphonies or rock concerts. It’s not advisable to drive when you’re frustrated or angry. For example, AC/DC’s Thunderstruck hits 133bpm which can set your heart rate racing. 
• The quiet drive: sometimes silence is golden. On occasion you should try to tune out entirely to ease the stress and enjoy a peaceful drive without music.
• Keep your eye on the prize: that means the road. Did you know South Africa has one of the highest road crash rates in the world with about 25% caused by cellphone use?

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