Which kind of music makes people more road rage-y?

Think about the last time you were angered while driving. Whether someone made you mad while you were driving, or you got behind the wheel while heated, it doesn’t matter. Here’s the question at hand: What were you listening to at the time? Did it add fuel to your fire or did it help you calm down? 

A new report from Lance Surety Bonds cuts to the core of who feels road rage-y at a higher pace and, what might be a surprise to everyone, 96% of indie music fans admitted to feeling their vision turn red with anger while driving.

The survey looked at the relationships between car brands, people’s driving practices and their musical preferences to see whether dudes who like muscle or sports cars while cranking Metallica, for example, are more likely to admit to experiencing road rage. 

The results might be a little surprising. The number one artist associated with road rage, according to the results of the 1,000-person survey, was Calvin Harris. It’s less surprising that one in three drivers will change their song choice if they’re feeling stress or anger behind the wheel, hoping to find something else to bring them down from huffing and puffing with animosity. 

If you’re a country fan, you’re more likely than fans of any other genre to be a vocal road rager, yelling at other drivers to boot scoot their way out of your dadgum lane. 

Probably the least surprising factoid from the survey: Classical music listeners are the least likely to demonstrate risky driving compared to all other kinds of music. 

If you think getting grumpy behind the wheel is just for the men in the world, think twice: Women were more likely than men to admit to experiencing road rage, with 91% of female respondents copping to driving while angry compared to 85% of men. 

But what about the metalheads? They’re always yelling and screaming, they MUST have some serious numbers, right? They did come in second, behind indie fans, as having the second highest rage rate at 89%. 

The most calming genre? Would you believe it’s pop music, with 31% of drivers admitting they switched to something sugary and superficial to help calm their nerves. 

Switching lanes to car models and makes, it probably comes as very little surprise that BMWs (44%) and Teslas (33%) are the models most likely to provoke rage, as 56% of drivers say the kind of vehicle has some influence on whether they’re more or less likely to feel aggressive. Driving a hybrid doesn’t absolve the person who picked the car: 22% of electric vehicle drivers say they’ve been “provoked” by gas-fueled cars just because of what they’re driving. 

If you’ve been in, or almost caused, an accident while changing tunes, like 15% of those surveyed, you were probably listening to punk or hip-hop at the time.

“Music has a unique way of stirring emotions, and for drivers, it can mean the difference between a peaceful ride and a tense commute,” the survey says. “Some genres are fueling frustration, while others are helping to keep anger in check.”

Curious how other genres measured up and what else the survey found? Read it all here. Preferably while parked.