# Can you drive (lost) with music on?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 21, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922 "2013-01-21T17:33:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922/1 "2013-01-21T17:33:22Z")

</div>

Riffing on [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=679585), how many of you turn the radio down or off when you get lost while driving? How about during snow or rain storms?

Now that I have a GPS I keep the radio low enough to hear the driving directions but switch it off when I get totally lost.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Novalyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@Novalyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novalyne)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922/2 "2013-01-21T19:39:38Z")

</div>

I’m constantly turning down/off the radio in the car.

Driving in the rain? Radio turned off.

Doing a transaction at the ATM? Radio turned off.

Driving in unfamiliar places/with or without a map? Radio turned off.

I can’t concentrate with the radio. I’d say it’s usually off more often than it’s on. I may go days before I think to turn the radio on.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922/3 "2013-01-21T19:47:20Z")

</div>

I do it sometimes when looking for an unfamiliar location or really poor weather. I don’t know why it helps but it does so that’s all the defense I need for the behavior.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922/4 "2013-01-21T19:57:22Z")

</div>

The more tense I am while driving, the more likely I am to turn off the radio.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-drive-lost-with-music-on/647922/5 "2013-01-21T22:15:01Z")

</div>

I used to drive all the time with the sound turned up, but now only on a boring much-travelled stretch of road. It’s too distracting, like a loud-mouth kid in the car, when I want to concentrate. And I’ve been mocked for turning the radio or CD off: ‘whats the matter, you can’t drive and listen at the same time’? No! Shut. Up!