In celebration of Father’s Day, private number plate supplier Regtransfers has launched the Top 100 Dad Rock Driving Tunes – the ultimate soundtrack for summer road trips and school runs.
The nostalgia-fuelled playlist reflects how both driving music and fatherhood have evolved, with new research showing that rock remains one of Britain’s favourite driving genres
To find out what Brits enjoy listening to behind the wheel, Regtransfers conducted a survey and found that nearly a third (29%) of respondents picked rock as their go-to driving genre. Almost half (47%) said that music helps them feel more focused and alert while driving.
Commenting on the study’s findings, Regtransfers CEO Mark Trimbee said, “Listening to music while driving can be a fantastic way to add enjoyment to the experience, but as research has shown, it can also be a bit of a minefield. What’s particularly interesting is that whether music helps or hinders focus behind the wheel depends on a range of factors, and tempo, volume and familiarity all play a part in this.”
Indeed, a recent study in association with Spotify revealed that fast-tempo music can subconsciously encourage drivers to speed or make quicker lane changes. Conversely, while slow-tempo tracks can promote calmness, excessively slow music may have the opposite effect, potentially inducing drowsiness.
Further research suggests that familiarity with your chosen playlist – how well you know the songs – matters as well, in that listening to complex or unfamiliar tracks can divert attention away from driving tasks.
“Rock music is known for its high energy, intricate riffs and tendency to be played at higher volumes,” adds Rick Cadger, a content writer at Regtransfers and one of the main brains behind this year’s playlist. “Whether it’s the ‘best’ music to drive to is up for debate, but it’s certainly one of the most entertaining and, as a genre, Dad Rock offers a particularly fun, feel-good soundtrack.”
The term “Dad Rock” was first coined in a 2007 Pitchfork review by music critic Rob Mitchum, and until recently, playlists bearing the label have been synonymous with a certain subset of bands – Queen, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones and more – combining nostalgia with punchy, road-friendly riffs.
As Regtransfers Marketing Manager Angela Banh pointed out, however, the famous faces of Dad Rock are undergoing a period of generational metamorphosis.
“Given that we tend to form our core music tastes between the ages of 13 and 16, the generation who grew up with Led Zeppelin, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Black Sabbath are now mostly likely in or approaching their sixties,” she explains.
“Today’s dads are more likely to have come of age with the songs of Linkin Park, The Offspring and Muse. Our playlist reflects that shift, spotlighting bands from the late 90s and early 2000s, which – whether we like to admit it or not – is the new era of Dad Rock.”
There’s one exception to this rule, and it also happens to be Regtransfers’ top pick in the Dad Rock Driving Tunes countdown. Released in 1975 and appearing on their fourth studio album, A Night At The Opera, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody remains firmly seated on the Dad Rock throne.
“We argued for a long time about what song should take the top spot,” Trimbee admitted. “Ultimately, Bohemian Rhapsody is a timeless slice of British rock music, adored across generations. We might have to unseat it next year, for the sake of fairness, but for now, we’re more than happy to crown it the number one Dad Rock driving track.”
