Your new favorite album could be dangerous on the road, study warns

A new study from Harvard Medical School suggests that recent album releases by popular artists like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and Bad Bunny may be contributing to a rise in traffic fatalities across the United States. Researchers analyzed traffic fatality data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and found that on days when new albums were released, an average of 18 additional people died on U.S. roads.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined the impact of 10 high-streaming albums between 2017 and 2022. The researchers estimate that the cognitive load from unfamiliar music and scrolling through playlists likely distracted drivers, leading to a 15% increase in traffic fatalities on album release days. Notably, Taylor Swift's "Midnights" and Harry Styles' "Harry's House" had the highest stream counts on their release days.

The study also found that CarPlay-equipped cars experienced a larger increase in fatalities, indicating that easier access to music may exacerbate the distraction. While the study doesn't prove a direct causal link, patterns of fatalities among young, solo drivers during daylight in clear weather strongly suggest distraction as the cause.

The researchers recommend that music platforms provide warnings about the potential risks and encourage drivers to prepare music before trips or have passengers handle music selection.