Study Links Major Album Releases to 15% Rise in Fatal Crashes
Researchers found about 18 extra deaths on major album release days, linking the rise to smartphone streaming and distracted driving.
- Researchers at Harvard Medical School found a 15.1% relative increase in U.S. traffic fatalities on the launch dates of top-streamed music albums compared to surrounding days.
- The study analyzed five years of national crash registries alongside Spotify streaming metrics, focusing on the 10 most-streamed album releases from 2017 through 2022, including works by Taylor Swift, Drake, and Bad Bunny.
- Daily U.S. music streaming volume surged by 43% on album drop dates, correlating with an average jump from 121 daily traffic fatalities on control days to 139 deaths on release days.
- Authors attributed the elevated risk primarily to visual, cognitive, and physical distractions caused by drivers searching for new releases, browsing tracklists, and interacting with mobile devices while operating a vehicle.
- The surge in deadly collisions was most pronounced among younger drivers, male drivers, sober individuals, and people driving alone.
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The urgency to listen immediately to the latest themes of successful artists becomes a fatal distraction for young drivers and people travelling alone
On days of big music releases, American streets are crawling measurably more often. Doctors see the cause in desperate handling with music apps at the wheel. But there are safe alternatives.
Did a popular music album just drop? A hidden—and deadly—effect will follow
There’s more than one reason to stay home the next time Beyoncé drops an album. Yes, you’ll want to hole up and listen to Act III—but you’ll also want to avoid being on the road, where traffic fatalities spike when major albums release, according to a new study. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found a link between the biggest album release days on Spotify and increased fatalities on the road. Their study, published this week in JAMA Networ…
Taylor Swift, Drake And Bad Bunny Album Releases Linked To Rise In Fatal Car Crashes, According To Study
Major album releases on streaming services by artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, and Bad Bunny have been linked to a rise in fatal car crashes in the United States. The study, published on Monday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, examined the ten albums with the most first-day Spotify streams between 2017 and 2022, […] The post Taylor Swift, Drake And Bad Bunny Album Releases Linked To Rise In Fatal Car Crashes, According To Study appeare…
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