No, that isn’t our opinion (except for the coffee bit, that’s always welcome) – it’s the result of a new study. Car insurance company U-Switch and behavioural science consultancy CX Lab got together to study how a group of drivers reacted under certain conditions.
The drivers involved in the study was varied, with a third of the sample having held a UK licence for more than 25 years. Most of the group drove regularly, at least for times every week.
As you might expect, researchers confirmed that coffee (or rather, caffeine) was the factor that improved response times the most. When travelling at 70mph, those drinking caffeinated coffee were able on average to stop around 24 metres before those who hadn’t had any coffee.
The surprise factor in the experiment was the fact that your choice of music could affect your reactions while driving! Many of us have a driving playlist containing anything from pop to heavy metal, depending on our tastes, but it seems that rap music is the genre most likely to keep us alert. Scientists trialled different genres of music and rap was found to have the most positive impact. Participants were able to stop around 15 metres sooner than if they’d been travelling in a silent environment with no music at all. Some music, in particular R&B, actually had a negative effect on responses – obviously it makes us just too relaxed! (Don’t worry, the tests were carried out in a driving simulator rather than in actual cars so participants and passing pedestrians were quite safe!)
If you’re not sure you’ve got the courage to add rap music to your driving playlist, then why not stick with the coffee?! We supply top quality coffee beans and ground coffee, all available at competitive wholesale prices – just take a look at our main Wholesale Coffee Company website to find out more.