Irish Car Insurance experts Chill have analysed the beats per minute (BPM) of Christmas number ones in Ireland over the years and have determined which are best to avoid when driving.
The countdown for Christmas is on, and soon enough, Christmas songs will be making their way onto our radios; if they haven’t already.
A study from South China University of Technology (SCUT) has revealed that songs with BPMs over 120 can increase your risk of driving dangerously.
In turn, Chill used the finding from SCUT to analyse a range of UK and Irish Christmas number ones, ranking them from the highest BPMs to the lowest. They have released a study of 15 songs that are probably best to avoid this festive season.
The study – an interesting find
Chill Insurance has analysed a range of UK and Irish Christmas number ones. They then recorded the BPM of each song, ranking them from the highest to the lowest.
The study was founded on research from SCUT, where it was discovered that songs with a BPM of over 120 are linked to more dangerous behaviours when driving.
This is down to the cardiovascular, physiological, and psychological impact. In turn, Chill has produced the 15 most dangerous Irish Christmas number ones that you should avoid driving to this festive season.
Most dangerous Irish Christmas number ones to drive to – No.1 might surprise you
Starting with the Christmas number ones with the highest BPMs, the most dangerous Christmas number one to drive to is Alexandra Burke’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’.
A deceptive one, this song has a BPM of 183! While it’s a slow one, it’s certainly a heartfelt one that can have you belting out the lyrics while driving, something to note coming up to Christmas.
Next up is Brendan Bower’s ‘No More’ from 1963. Born in Waterford, this upbeat classic has a BPM of 173, making it the second most dangerous Christmas number one to drive to.
Next up is Eminem and ‘Lose Yourself’ with a BPM of 171, and anyone who has belted out this tune in the car will know why it has made the list. If you find yourself as one of the lucky ones to have avoided any of the 8 reasons why Irish people fail their driving test, then avoid these songs, too!
A diverse mix of songs – the Irish public has diverse taste
Next up is the second X-Factor single to enter the top five most dangerous Irish Christmas number ones, and it’s James Arthur’s ‘Impossible’.
Well over the 120 BPM mark, this cover of Shontelle’s hit pop song has a high BPM of 170. This song was the best-selling single in Ireland in 2012 and overtook Alexandra Burke’s rendition of ‘Hallelujah’ as the best-selling X-Factor single ever.
In turn, it’s advised not to drive while this song plays. Rounding out the top five most dangerous Irish Christmas number ones is Dermot Kennedy’s ‘Giants’.
The Dublin singer’s emotional track has a BPM of 158 and is best to keep off your driving playlists. For the full list of 15 songs, check out the study here.