The Christmas Songs That Might Be Putting Montana Drivers At Risk

When you are driving around town you have to have your favorite jam on. Every once in a while one of those real bangers comes on and suddenly you are having a full mini concert in the driver's seat. Probably not the safest thing we do behind the wheel, but it happens. What I never really stopped to think about is whether there is any real risk tied to that and if anyone has actually studied it. Turns out there is, and it ties directly into Christmas music, which is perfect timing for the season we are heading into here in Montana.

A new study from The Barber Law Firm took Spotify's 500 most popular holiday songs and ranked them by beats per minute to figure out which Christmas tracks might be the riskiest to drive to. The results were a little surprising. Ariana Grande's "Last Christmas" topped the list with a BPM of 205.95, which is more than 70 percent above what researchers consider the safe threshold.

Milo Stavos's "Where Are You Christmas" followed close behind at 204.68. Rounding out the top three was Shakin' Stevens's classic "Merry Christmas Everyone," hitting 202.90. Even beloved favorites made the list with Bing Crosby's "Mele Kalikimaka" and Andy Williams's "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," both clocking in above 200 BPM.

Researchers say songs over 120 BPM can impact driving behavior by nudging people to speed up and drive more aggressively. Another study out of England found that 70 percent of people ticketed for speeding were listening to fast dance-style music.

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Here in Montana, where winter roads can go from fine to icy in a blink, that little in-car concert might carry more risk than we think. So while you are cruising through town or headed up the canyon, enjoy the music, but maybe save the high-energy playlist for later.