Spotify playlist designed to help you drive more safely
Allianz has launched a new data-driven initiative on Spotify that encourages motorists to drive more safely by changing the beat of their music. 'Seat Belters' is a free in-app experience for Spotify users that creates a personalised playlist featuring songs that have lower beats per minute (BPM).
Studies show that music can have a direct influence on how we drive. Songs with a fast tempo - over 120 BPM - can subconsciously encourage drivers to speed up and change lanes more often. In contrast, music that matches the average resting heart rate - around 60–80 BPM - is associated with calmer, more focused driving.
Younger adults are most inclined to stream music while driving. Studies indicate that faster music can lead to increased heart rate variability, elevated mental workload, and more unpredictable driving patterns, suggesting motorists could benefit from a more mindful music curation approach while on the road.
Allianz's new campaign on Spotify aims to help drivers tune into a more mindful, more aware pace that is just as enjoyable, for better driving. Each playlist is unique, leveraging Spotify's unique streaming intelligence but filtered for music in a safer tempo range (60–80 BPM).
While the specific songs will vary, tracks by some of the UK's most iconic artists fall into the 'safe category'.
To launch Seat Belters, music artist Big Manny and Police drummer Stewart Copeland have been explaining more about why music is vital for safe driving – watch here.
Matt Cox, Allianz UK Chief Claims Officer, said: 'The music we listen to can play a big part in changing our mood and actions, and it's no different when we're behind the wheel. Our claims data shows we can always do better when it comes to driving safe. We're excited to work with Spotify and offer an experience which isn't just personalised, but will potentially help keep the roads safer.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Walmart makes massive self-checkout U-turn: 'Huge change'
A Walmart in Missouri has seen a sharp drop in police calls and arrests after it made a bold move: ripping out every self-checkout machine. The Shrewsbury supercenter removed the kiosks last year after logging a staggering 509 police calls. Since then, the numbers have plunged — with only 183 calls so far this year and arrests cut nearly in half. 'That's a huge change. We really appreciate Walmart taking initiative and removing those self-checkers,' Shrewsbury police chief Lisa Vargas said on Tuesday. Walmart has been looking for other ways to crack down on shoplifting at self-checkouts such as using handheld scanners in select stores to verify a receipts authenticity. Bosses have also been locking up items that are frequently stolen behind plexiglass screens. Besides Shrewsbury, select Walmart stores in Ohio and New Mexico eliminated self-checkouts to lessen the chance of shoplifting. 'We believe the changes will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,' a Walmart spokesperson told CX Dive. Walmart is in the middle of a massive revamp at 650 stores this year. While they're working on store redesign, select locations are also rolling out adjustments to self-checkouts to stop crooks stealing customers' card details. Commonly seen is red tape covering part of the card reader prevent card skimmers from stealing financial information. Card skimming has become a frequent problem in Walmart stores nationwide, with one incident going unnoticed for 18 days. During those days, a card-skimming device disguised as a pin pad at one of the retailer's registers in Connecticut. The problem has escalated to a point where Washington state's legislature proposed a bill to regulate the use of self-checkouts. Besides registers, Walmart has begun testing other methods aiming to decrease its crime rate without diminishing its current progress. Some of these tools include opening locked display cases with phones and hidden barcodes in Great Value-branded products. Select Walmart stores have been adding gadgets to self-checkout scanners to decrease the chance of card skimming Walmart is not the only retailer to continue axing self-checkout. Dollar General also performed a massive self-checkout removal in 12,000 stores, hoping for a decrease in shoplifters. The takeaway worked in Dollar General's favor, and the chain reported an 8 percent boost in income during its first quarter. Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, is removing all machines and rolling out AI -powered 'Scan & Go' technology to reduce checkout wait times. Costco, one of Sam's Club's biggest rivals, began rolling out the same technology but is not planning on axing self-checkout from all locations.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Man in hospital after police car and e-bike crash in St Ann's
A man was taken to hospital after a crash involving an e-bike and a police car in happened at about 15:15 BST on Thursday, near the junction of Marmion Road and Carlton Road, in St Ann's, Nottinghamshire Police said. An e-bike rider was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre with injuries "not thought to be life-altering or life-threatening", the force added. A cordon was put in place while the crash was dealt with and the police car involved was recovered from the scene. The road has since reopened.
Finextra
a day ago
- Finextra
Speak Without Words: By Imanuel Kaiser
You can tell in seconds, some fintech products click. Why? They look good, feel considered, give a sense of control. What you're seeing is design doing the heavy lifting. To their detriment, most startups don't treat design like a real business lever. Instead, they might think of it as a coat of paint to add once the product works. But great fintech products aren't painted. They're designed and built from the inside out. Every front-end element: spacing, animation, colour, copy, tone, works to build utility and inspires emotional confidence. That confidence is what keeps users moving, trusting, and coming back. Design decisions are business decisions. Ignore them, and you leave money on the table. Fintechs should feel like music software A great strategy would be to borrow from apps like Apple Music and Spotify, not in terms of features, but in feel. Those apps are highly emotional products. They're tuned to human behaviour and express personality. That idea matters in fintech more than people admit. Personal finance can be stressful and many people don't enjoy thinking about it. So if you can create a space that feels intuitive, confident and a little bit joyful, you're going to get ahead. That's why the best fintechs don't look like banks, they're starting to look more like lifestyle apps you want to spend time in. Design-first fintechs are surging ahead Design features are a forever imprint in the product and scale in ways most marketing doesn't. The strongest consumer fintechs right now such as Revolut, N26 and Wise, have product teams that prioritise design because it drives growth. They know that if you can make financial tools feel light, modern and emotionally fluent, you gain a level of customer engagement traditional players can't touch. You also spend less on support, churn less, and get more referrals. Earning trust Trust isn't won by saying 'trust me' or showing a padlock icon. You win it when the experience feels like it should. That means a responsive UI. Examples might be a transfer button that animates with just the right delay, or typography that's readable without effort. Don't design by committee Finally, if your sign-up form looks like a compliance department built it, it probably was. Most legacy banks ship features. Great fintechs ship experiences. That starts with a small team that cares obsessively about how each part of the product feels, not just what it does. I'd go as far as saying: if your founding team doesn't include someone with a strong design eye, or you're not bringing in that instinct early, you're at a disadvantage. It will show. And no amount of after-the-fact polish will fix it. In conclusion Most users won't say why they don't like your app. They won't complain about the copywriting or the dropdown spacing, they'll bounce. Teams who invest in emotional design, who make things feel smart, fast, easy, and respectful will get a different outcome. Their users are proud to recommend them. And they win market share not by shouting louder, but by being better. When your product has great design, you start to speak without words, and that's when users really start to listen.
