Wagner (Richard, not Kurt): Unsafe at any Speed

In Britain, Wagner tops list of music called unsafe to listen to while driving
LONDON (AP) — When Richard Wagner composed his powerful Ride of the Valkyries in the 1850s, he surely wasn’t thinking of any danger he was posing to 21st-century motorists.
Britain’s RAC Foundation for Motoring on Wednesday named the strident classical piece the No. 1 tune not to play while driving, based on research suggesting that loud music can cause accidents.
The Dies Irae from Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem was also considered a no-no. The top-five list of tunes to avoid while behind the wheel was rounded out by three modern songs — Firestarter by Prodigy, Red Alert by Basement Jaxx and Insomnia by Faithless.
To help music-loving motorists, the foundation also provided a top-five list of songs it said may safely be played while driving, “albeit quietly.”
Norah Jones’s smash hit Come Away with Me was deemed calm enough, as was Mad World by Gary Jules. Other songs on the safe list were Another Day by R&B singer Lemar, Too Lost in You by girl group The Sugababes and Breathe Easy by boy band Blue.
It’s not the first time the RAC Foundation has warned of the dangers of driving with Wagner.
Ride of the Valkyries topped the RAC Foundation list of dangerous songs two years ago, when the issue was the peril of fast tempos. Verdi’s Dies Irae was No. 3 on that list.