Researchers Rank the Most Dangerous Christmas Songs for Drivers

Christmas Music Could Change How You Drive This Season

You're cruising down the Garden State Parkway when your favorite Christmas song comes on. Before you know it, you're so excited that your foot gets a little heavier on the gas.

For me, it's Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas. It never fails to boost my mood, but it turns out it might also be putting me at risk.

Get our free mobile app

New research suggests that a song's tempo can influence how well drivers stay focused on the road, with high-tempo songs (over 120 BPM) often encouraging aggressive driving and distraction.

Canva

On the flip side, a slow-tempo Christmas song (40-70 BPM) can cause drivers to become fatigued and have a more limited attention span, making those calming holiday favorites downright dangerous to listen to while driving.

Christmas Songs Considered More Dangerous To Listen to While Driving

The Barber Law Firm analyzed Spotify's most popular holiday songs and ranked them based on their beats per minute (BPM) to identify the riskiest Christmas songs for driving.

Here are the songs they consider the most dangerous!

Photo by Darwin Vegher on Unsplash

Slow-Tempo Christmas Songs That Could Induce Drowsiness

Carol of the Bells, John Williams

Winter Wonderland, Hunter Hayes

Candy Cane Lane, Marcus Miller

Sent Me A King, Jonathan McReynolds; Smokie Norful

O Holy Night, Adolphe Adam; The Cambridge Singers; City of London Sinfonia; John Rutter

Fast-Tempo Christmas Songs That Could Encourage Fast Speeds While Driving

Last Christmas, Ariana Grande

Where Are You Christmas, Milo Stavos

Merry Christmas Everyone, Shakin' Stevens

Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas), Bing Crosby; The Andrews Sisters

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Andy Williams

I'm just happy Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas isn't on the list!

25 Christmas songs performed by NJ artists

If you celebrate Christmas, the next month of your life is likely going to be consumed with shopping for gifts, retrieving a tree, decorating the house, and going out on adventures to see elaborate light displays.

The one thing that you must have at the ready for all of these scenarios is Christmas music.

Since a lot of the songs you hear tend to get repetitive this time of year, why not pay homage to some of the great singers, bands, and musicians that make New Jersey's music history so rich.

Gallery Credit: Joe Votruba