German minister combats road rage with Mozart

BERLIN — Germany’s transport minister is sharing one of his own stress-reducers — the slow movements of Mozart’s piano concertos — with drivers in hopes the soothing music will help reduce road rage on the nation’s autobahn freeways.

A new CD called “Adagio in the Automobile” features Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer playing part of Mozart’s Piano Concerto Nr. 21 accompanied by the orchestra of Berlin’s Deutsche Oper.

Ramsauer told the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that studies have shown slow classical music has a calming effect on people. He says that “many accidents and dangerous traffic situations are due to aggressive drivers” and he hopes the music “will help counter that.”

More than 2.4 million accidents on German roads were recorded in 2010.