What if the key to safer driving wasn’t in your mirrors, but in your speakers?
Allianz Ireland has joined forces with Spotify to help drivers transform their mood — and potentially their road safety record — one beat at a time.
Launched this week, ‘Seat Belters’ is a personalised Spotify experience that re-engineers your daily playlist to match a calmer tempo — music in the 60–80 BPM range, close to a resting heart rate. Why? Because research shows faster music can ramp up stress, reduce focus, and subtly encourage risky behaviour like speeding or erratic lane changes.
A nationally representative survey commissioned by Allianz in April 2025 revealed that over half of Irish adults believe music affects their driving. Among Gen Z — the most likely to stream behind the wheel — that figure climbs even higher.
And the science backs them up: studies link fast-tempo music to increased heart rate variability, higher mental workload, and more erratic decision-making on the road.
That’s why Allianz has turned to Spotify to launch ‘Seat Belters’, an in-app experience tool that creates a personalised playlist, based on the user’s listening history but with a lower beat per minute, for better driving.
“Allianz is about protecting what matters most,” says Mark Brennan, Chief Marketing Officer at Allianz Ireland. “Music affects how we feel and how we act — even behind the wheel. This campaign is about giving people a tool they’ll actually enjoy using, that also encourages more mindful driving.”
Seat Belters will be promoted to Spotify’s free-tier users via in-app ads and shared on social media. To bring this science to life, Allianz has also launched Dashboard Drumming, a social video activation pairing legendary drummer Stewart Copeland (The Police) with science content creator Big Manny. In a parked car, they use nothing but a dashboard and a drumbeat to demonstrate how changing tempo affects mindset, mood, and ultimately driving behaviour — making BPM instantly relatable and sharable. It’s a fun but powerful way to show how we respond to rhythm behind the wheel.
Whether you’re on the school run or a solo spin down the M50, Seat Belters offers a real-time reminder: what you listen to behind the wheel can steer how you feel — and how safely you drive.
Ready to soundtrack your next journey? create your personalised Playlist, visit: https://open.spotify.com/site/allianz
Hit play, slow the tempo, and drive better — with Allianz and Spotify.
