A recent academic study conducted by a research team from Harvard Medical School has identified a concerning correlation: traffic fatalities see a noticeable spike on the days that major music albums are released.
The research paper, titled “Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities,” was published last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research. To conduct the study, researchers analyzed United States motor vehicle death records from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System alongside streaming data provided by Spotify. The research specifically focused on the release dates of the ten most-streamed albums in a single day between the years 2017 and 2022.
According to the team’s analysis, general smartphone usage surged by 40 percent on the days these highly anticipated albums were released. Concurrently, traffic fatalities across the United States increased by 15 percent on those exact dates.
The researchers acknowledged that other variables could influence these statistics. For instance, the music industry standard is to release albums on Fridays, a day when the general public is already more likely to be traveling and socializing. However, the team accounted for major holidays and intense travel periods in their data. The findings ultimately demonstrated that “fatalities remained elevated on album release Fridays compared with the Fridays before and after”.
The study also highlighted a surprising trend regarding the conditions of these crashes. The fatalities were found to be more common among sober drivers and on days with clear weather. Researchers suggest this indicates that drivers might be more willing to let themselves be distracted by their smartphones and streaming apps when they perceive the road conditions to be exceptionally safe.
Additionally, the data showed that deaths were notably higher involving “single-occupant vehicles”. This detail suggests that having a passenger present to manage the music and streaming devices significantly reduces the driver’s risk of being involved in a fatal accident.
