Drivers warned against loud music Listening to loud music while driving can seriously hamper reaction times and cause accidents, new research suggests. A Canadian study found people took up to 20% longer to perform physical and mental tasks to loud music. If motorists were delayed that long at the wheel they could suffer a fatal crash, warned the RAC Foundation, a British motoring organization. Edmund King, the RAC Foundation's executive director, said the study showed that not only is loud music a nuisance to others, it could also be the cause of accidents. Earlier research by the RAC Foundation found drivers were twice as likely to skip a red light while listening to music. In the Canadian study volunteers carried out tasks while listening to levels of noise varying from 53 decibels (equivalent to an office environment) to 95 decibels (equivalent to an oil rig). Researchers found reactions to be significantly decreased at higher noise levels for both physical and mental work. At 95 decibels reaction times to tasks that involve decision making plummeted by 20%.