Major Album Releases Tied to 15% Increase in US Traffic Deaths, Study Finds
The Harvard study linked the deaths to drivers distracted by pulling up music on their phones. Major Album Releases Tied to 15% Increase in US Traffic Deaths, Study Finds Eddie Fu
A recent Harvard study has discovered a 15% rise in US traffic fatalities on the days major albums are released on streaming services, according to a report in JAMA Network Open. The research, which analyzed the 10 albums with the highest first-day Spotify streams between 2017 and 2022, revealed an average of 139.1 deaths from car crashes on the release dates compared to 120.9 deaths on surrounding days, a difference of 18.2 average fatalities or 15.1%.
Harvard Medical School researcher Dr. Vishal Patel, inspired by his own experience, conducted the study using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the federal registry of every fatal crash on US roads. The increase in fatalities was mostly among solo drivers and sober drivers and was not concentrated at night. While FARS data cannot confirm distracted driving, researchers acknowledged external factors could have contributed to the traffic fatalities and limited the data to Spotify.
The study suggests caution when using phones while driving, recommending either pulling over to a stop or using voice commands.
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