What’s your Ultimate Summer Driving Playlist?

MoneySupermarket have a new competition, to compile the Ultimate Summer Driving playlist, as THINK! research suggests that almost 20% of accidents on major roads are sleep or tiredness related. Long journeys on motorways can lead to a lack of concentration and, as well as other preventative measures, listening to songs you love can be a great way to stay alert and focused on the road.

Back when I had to drive back to York a lot on my own, I created a playlist on my iPod to help keep me focused and awake, and a lot of these songs featured. When you’re driving for four hours or more you need something which doesn’t let you drift off.

This is mine – it’s going to be easy as we created a Summer Playlist on Spotify at work which keeps getting songs added to it.

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This reminds me of the Reading Festival in the early 90s, Buffalo Tom playing ‘Summer’ on the stage and my friend Helen and I dancing on the grass clutching a pint of beer singing along. Aah. It’s good for driving too.

Bananarama’s ‘Cruel Summer’ is another essential. They make fun pop music and there isn’t enough of that these days. They also didn’t take themselves too seriously.

But when you’re driving you do need your music faster with lots of ‘oo’s in there, you know the sort of thing. Lucky we have The Undertones then with ‘Here Comes The Summer’. See, you can mix up the slower with the fast too, that way you’re always kept on your toes.

Not all summer music needs to be pop. Everyone needs a bit of rock in their lives and Queens of the Stone Age have theirs with the top driving song ‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer’ which probably has the least appropriate refrain to sing in front of your child. Better save that one for solo drives… or headphones.

This one always makes it on to my summer playlists – I was a huge Lush fan, and when they (sadly) split and Emma formed Sing-Sing their first single was this, a top summer pop moment, ‘Feels Like Summer’.

If I was to choose the ultimate two driving songs which I think are in my key, these two win. They’re not summer songs, they’re perennial. But they DRIVE.

and this because the video makes me think of the summer and it’s really silly. One night driving home from work Magic AND Heart played it within ten minutes of each other. I drove the long route home. Oh yes.

I hope you like them, I could have made a longer list but I’m sparing you all.

I was gifted an amount of money to pay for these songs – all opinions are my own.