The World of In-vehicle Musical Communication among Commercial Drivers

In Nigeria, driving cars is a necessary part of our life nowadays; it is therefore inevitable that the population of car users continues to grow every year. From both the theoretical assumptions of this study to the empirical findings, it could be garnered that in-vehicular music communication can make or mar the welfare of the drivers and the passengers considering its aesthetic qualities which can either uplift the soul or distract it. In as much as several authors suggested that background music helps to increase positive feelings which arouses relaxation thereby improving performance, it is recommended that drivers moderate their behaviour guarding against other unpalatable outcomes such as distraction which emanate from it. The exploratory nature of this study allowed it the privilege to access commercial drivers in Nigeria with the ability of ascertaining prevalence rate of in-vehicle musical communication all through survey method of research using structured questionnaire and observational schedule and in-depth interview. This work therefore chronicles the practice, utility, gratification and hazards to well being of IMC among Inter-State commercial drivers in Nigeria.

Autorentext
Ifeoma Ojiakor-Umenze is a lecturer of mass communication, Imo State University, Owerri. The authors' research interests and area of specialization include, gender and development; and Health communication. She had authored many articles on various areas of media communication and holds a PH.D in communication from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.