The Most Dangerous NFL Team Chants When Driving

If you’ve got a favorite football team, chances are you’ve got a favorite football song or chant. This might be an adopted song by an artist or a team-specific chant. Yet for drivers, some team-associated songs are more distracting and more dangerous than others, with music acting as the ‘invisible’ factor in around 10% of all crashes.

With the Super Bowl almost upon us (and data suggesting that Super Bowl Sunday is 73% more dangerous for drivers than the prior Sunday in the calendar), this study will uncover which NFL songs and chants are the most (and least) dangerous to drive to. We’ll also look at a number of songs and chants adopted by various U.S. sporting teams to find the most and least distracting examples.

First, let’s consider the extent to which driver distraction is a danger on U.S. roads.

The Danger of Distracted Driving

Defensive Driving Institute statistics suggest that distracted driving caused approximately 400,000 accidents in 2024 alone. Distracted driving crashes often involve rear-end collisions, sideswipes, or accidents caused by drivers leaving their lanes.

According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in-vehicle driver distraction, such as listening to music, is responsible for a quarter (25%) of all traffic accidents and 30% of traffic fatalities. In 2023, that meant 12,429 people died in car accidents due to distraction.

But how exactly does music distract drivers – and what differentiates one song or chant from another?

How Song BPM Dictates Driver Danger

Study data tells us that 60% of drivers admit that music affects their mood whilst driving and their driving style. But there are often very good reasons for this, including the pace and power of the music in question.

Teen drivers are most susceptible to musical distraction while driving, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which also suggests that 93% of teens adjust the volume or change tracks while driving, increasing an already elevated crash risk.

A 2019 study found that drivers who listen to songs featuring over 120 beats per minute (BPM) were more likely to break speed limits, increase their speed by 10-20 MPH, and make sudden lane changes.

High-energy anthems can be so powerful that they trigger an adrenaline spike that narrows a driver’s peripheral vision, a phenomenon known as ‘cognitive tunneling.’ In contrast, those who listen to softer, slower music were more likely to observe speed limits and exercise due caution while driving.

And, between both musical extremities, music featuring between 80 and 100 BPM resides in a balanced ‘Goldilocks zone’, keeping drivers alert but not overstimulated.

Additional research from the London Metropolitan University discovered that drivers listening to loud or fast-paced music suffered 20% slower reaction times.

The research also found that such drivers were also more likely to be involved in an accident, and to drive with a level of compromised control and attention comparable to driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

And a study by University College London found that music featuring lyrics (compared to instrumental music) can reduce a driver’s ability to concentrate on complex driving tasks (like navigating unfamiliar roads) by up to 25%. So, singing along to a team song while driving inherently bakes in added accident risk.

That said, the study does suggest that a song or chant’s beloved familiarity can ameliorate the problem, with driver performance notably improving while listening to well-loved songs.

So, with these factors in mind, let’s pit both Super Bowl finalists against each other on a musical level to see which fans are most likely to be distracted while driving to the big game.

How The Super Bowl Finalists Compare For Distracted Drivers

The two teams that will fight it out to earn the right to be crowned Super Bowl LX champion this year are the Seattle Seahawks (NFC Champion) and the New England Patriots (AFC Champion).

The matchup, which will take place on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will feature two teams with two very different team songs. And one team’s anthem is significantly more distracting (and dangerous) for drivers.

In fact, the Seattle Seahawks chant ‘Sea… Hawks!’ is the most distracting NFL chant for drivers. That’s due to its BPM of 140: the highest of all NFL teams. The New England Patriots song (“We Ready” by Archie Eversole) occupies a place at the other end of the distraction scale and is, in fact, the second least distracting song for NFL-fan drivers, running at 92 BPM.

Here (due to their high BPM) are the ten most distracting NFL songs/chants for drivers.

And here are the ten least distracting NFL songs/chants for drivers.

We also compiled a combined list of the top 45 sporting team chants across the NFL, MLB, NBA, and other sports. From that list of 45, here first are the ten most distracting songs/chants in major U.S. sports, plus the sports to which the songs in question are attached.

And at the other end of the scale, here are the ten least distracting U.S. sports songs/chants.

Explore the full combined list of the top 45 team chants across the NFL, MLB, NBA, and other major sports, ranked by BPM, below.

While high-BPM ‘singalong’ songs are a clear driver of danger, an added danger factor is a spike in drunk driving on Super Bowl Sunday.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data confirms that drunk driving rates rise by 40%, and that alcohol-related traffic fatalities are 74% higher on Super Bowl Sunday compared to the prior Sunday. 

Additional data tells us that, on February 12, 2023, Super Bowl Sunday, 83 drivers died. The states that featured the highest number of driver fatalities on that date were as follows.

Irrespective of state or general crash numbers, far more men than women feature in distraction-related crash statistics.

Men Are More Likely to Be Involved in Distraction-Related Crashes

National crash data confirms that a disproportionate number of men feature in distraction-related crashes, partly due to their interaction with complex in-car tech features like touchscreens.

Vehicles heavily reliant on touchscreen technology (as modern vehicles increasingly are) seem to exacerbate the risks of distraction, with male drivers in particular more likely to engage with in-car tech while driving: a tendency that compounds the male risk of being involved in accidents.

Statistics confirm this: in 2023, 2,228 male drivers died in crashes due to distraction, with female driver fatalities during the same period far lower (849). That comparative share means that male drivers represent 72.41% of all distracted driving fatalities.

Music Can Make Drivers Distracted: Add Sports To The Mix For Added Danger

Overall, it’s clear from the data in this study that songs can be very distracting to drivers due to their BPM level. Loud, fast songs featuring a high BPM are particularly distracting, with comparatively sedate, slow songs featuring a low BPM far less so.

The same applies to sporting chants and songs adopted by sports teams. And some sports teams favor songs that are far more distracting than others.

High-energy anthems cause ‘cognitive tunneling’, which increases drivers’ adrenaline and narrows their focus. While intense sports-related hype can impair executive function as much as acute stress, 35% of drivers suggest they feel ‘increased agitation’ when they listen to loud, aggressive music in heavy traffic.

Drivers listening to loud or fast–paced music suffer 20% slower reaction times

Little surprise then that Super Bowl Sunday is statistically one of the most dangerous driving days of the year (and causes a $1.3 billion productivity vacuum due to the ‘Super Bowl Hangover’).

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, it features a 41% increase in traffic fatalities in the hours after the Super Bowl (compared to a normal Sunday), a spike that exceeds even New Year’s numbers.

Ultimately, Super Bowl Sunday should be a day of positivity and sporting celebration, providing fans can channel their adrenaline and excitement in the right way.

If they can remain conscious of the dangerous potential of their team song while they’re driving, and avoid driving after drinking alcohol, the key day in the U.S. sporting calendar can be a day to remember for all the right reasons. Here are some tips you can follow to significantly limit your likelihood of Super Bowl trouble.

• Plan a sober ride before kickoff.
• Avoid high-BPM ‘hype’ songs if you’re going to be driving.
• Wait 90 minutes after the game before you drive.
• Use your seat belt.
• Recognize the signs of impaired drivers.
• If you’re going to drink, use a rideshare or taxi service.

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If you were traveling on I-95, Biscayne Boulevard, I-4, or another Florida road when a driver hit you, you have the right to pursue monetary damages.

Our personal injury law firm offers legal services to Floridians and visitors injured in car crashes. To start a free initial consultation, contact us today.

Note on the methodology 

The BPM figures were sourced from studio recordings or widely accepted tempo analyses. Custom chants are measured by a verifiable clap/chant cadence commonly used in the sports stadium. Teams with rotating playlists are represented by their most ubiquitous chant.