(Image courtesy of Freerange Stock. “Some people like to listen to music while driving, while others don’t.”)

Shishi Javali
Connector Contributor

Students at Umass Lowell say that they listen to music while driving for a variety of reasons, including improving their focus and mood. Because Umass Lowell has so many commuters, driving is an essential part of their college experience, and music is a big part of that experience.

“I am student teaching right now. I drive to the school that I’m student teaching at every day, Monday through Friday,” said Holly Stellberger, a senior majoring in education. “I listen to music pretty much the entire 30-minute drive that I’m going to school and coming back.”

Indeed, other students say that it helps them to stay engaged while behind the wheel and changes how they feel. “It impacts my driving because it definitely changes my mood,” said Ryan Paterson, a senior in education. “I would say, however, it mellows me out, even if I am listening to like some fast-paced stuff or some amped-up energy.”

If students do not listen to music, they lose focus while driving. Scott Pistner, a junior mechanical engineering major, says he almost always listens to music while driving. “Ninety-nine percent of the time I‘m listening to music [and] when I’m not, I’m usually talking to someone,” Pistner said. “Otherwise, I get bored, I lose focus. You know, to have something in my head that isn’t just the road.”

Other students say they prefer listening to songs they know rather than unfamiliar music. Listening to familiar music, such as folk music or rap music, keeps students less distracted while driving. “If it’s something I’m really familiar with, then it can help me focus, and it does impact my mood a little bit,” said Sarah Buchieri, a first-year transfer student criminal justice major. “You know, like you listen to a really sad song, you might get sad. I don’t know that it affects how I drive that much. I’m probably a bit more fidgety when I don’t have music on.”

Additionally, most students do not enjoy the radio and like to pick their favorite songs from their playlists, such as those on Spotify. “I have playlists on Spotify; that’s usually what I listen to because I can just put whatever songs I want on there,” Buchieri said. “I have one for like different things too, so sometimes I have playlists that are just whatever songs I like right now, or they’re for a specific thing.”

In addition to having a playlist, the volume of the music is also an essential factor students discuss while driving. Students say that listening to music loudly helps them, especially when they are in traffic. “If it’s bad traffic, usually I’m turning my music up because I’m stuck there a while, and especially if it’s in a place I’m familiar with and I know we’re not going anywhere for a good amount of time,” Paterson said. “I’ll turn up and try and zone out because it’s not going to be so fun.”

However, students sometimes lower the volume, especially in difficult driving situations, in a city, or if they are tired. “As I get more tired, it’s harder for me to focus on more than one thing, and music especially can be distracting during that time,” Buchieri said. “Also, sometimes if I’m driving in like a city or something really stressful and I need to focus more on what I’m doing, then sometimes I’ll turn it down or turn it off.”

Students also say that sometimes, listening to music while driving can be distracting. People look at their phones to change their songs while driving, which can be dangerous when driving on the roads. “Some people will like to look down at their phone and switch songs and stuff like that,” Paterson said. “Not me personally, but you know, obviously you know, you look around on the road, you’ll see people on the highway looking down at their phones, they’re not even looking at the road.”

In the end, students say that listening to music helps them while driving as it changes their mood, but it can be distracting if they are not focused. “I’m feeling stressed. I’ll listen to music,” Pistner said. “If I am just in need of a change of pace, I’ll listen to music. It is a very good way to balance myself.”