What is the relationship between Bad Bunny, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift and traffic accidents?

The release of a highly anticipated music album by fans can lead to more traffic accident deaths than usual. Up to 15% more. These are the conclusions of a new study published in the scientific journal JAMA Network Open, which has observed that behind the increase in deaths on specific days between 2017 and 2022 there is a coincidental fact: the release of a new album by a major star. The explanation? Every time albums by very popular artists are released, the use of music streaming platforms increases significantly. And, when these are listened to in a car, they cause distractions to the driver and, therefore, more traffic accidents.

Researchers have studied the record of traffic accident deaths during the 10 days before and after the release date of the 10 most listened-to albums on platforms like Spotify, from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022. The artists who have been part of this ranking are Taylor Swift, Drake, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, and Kanye West, who have accumulated between 79 and 184 million streams on the first day they released new songs.

The research has observed that daily real-time music streaming volumes increased by 43% during the release days of albums such as Un verano sin ti by Bad Bunny, Midnights by Taylor Swift, or Harry's House by Harry Styles, and that, in parallel, the number of road casualties during the release of these albums was higher than on normal days. Regarding the profile of the victims, young men who were driving alone and in cars with built-in multimedia and connectivity systems –USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, telephony, and GPS– stand out.

It so happens that, in the analyzed accidents, the drivers had not consumed substances like alcohol or other drugs, and the weather conditions were favorable. "This can happen if drivers are more easily distracted by their smartphones – that is, they lower their guard – when road conditions are better and perceived safety is higher," they explain in the study.

Distractions while driving

It should be noted, however, that the researchers acknowledge that the research has certain limitations that must be taken into account when reading its results. For example, since it is not possible to conduct a direct investigation of the effect of smartphones on specific control groups – as it would pose a road safety problem among participants – the experts have had to base the data of their research on factors external to the users.

Nevertheless, the researchers emphasize that, with the rise of new technologies and smartphones, it is increasingly important to research these phenomena in the day-to-day safety of the population. "Our study shows the potential of evaluating the impact of smartphone use on distracted driving, by studying changes in traffic accident fatalities during periods when the use of these systems increases drastically," they conclude.