This New Study Found A Troubling Link Between Music Streaming And Rising Traffic Deaths

We all know that distractions while driving can have fatal results. Studies like the Naturalistic Teenage Driving Study show a direct correlation between texting and calling while driving and on-the-road fatalities, and the U.S. Department of Transportation backs this up. However, while most of the attention is given to calls and text messages, new research finds that streaming music can also be a risk factor, which is one reason you shouldn't drive with headphones on.

A study published in JAMA Network Open reports that, on average, there are 15.1% more fatal accidents on days a new major album came out compared to the days leading to and following it. The research accounted for factors that increase the risk of an accident as well: the time of the day, the day of the week, and how many people were in the car. 

Instead of focusing on individual behavior, the Harvard researchers focused on when there was an increase in accidents. They used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a nationwide database of fatal car crashes, and compared the data with Spotify's streaming charts and album release dates. They took sample data covering a six-year period from 2017 to 2022, resulting in the 15.1% statistic.

When a conclusive link was established between phone use in the car and how prone someone is to being in an accident, strict regulations were enforced to combat it. Music streaming is a bit more nuanced, and while there certainly is a link, this 15% increase still only shows correlation between album release days and crashes, not music streaming in general. Unless you can isolate music streaming itself to be a risk factor, it's unlikely that popular streaming services like Spotify will take any action.

This distinction makes sense; it's not that listening to music makes you more prone to danger on the road — though some studies link intense, fast-tempo music with reckless driving — but rather that fiddling with your phone and getting distracted is risky. Starting a playlist doesn't require as much interaction with your phone or car screen as searching for new releases in Spotify's constantly changing UI.

So long as you set your stream up before you start driving there's no research that conclusively states that streaming music while driving is inherently unsafe. Furthermore, with in-car infotainment systems like Android Auto introducing new features that elevate a hands-free experience, the risk can be somewhat mitigated through conversational AI and voice commands.