We all know that distracted driving can have fatal consequences. Studies such as the Naturalistic Teenage Driving Study show a direct correlation between texting and calling while driving and traffic fatalities, and the U.S. Department of Transportation confirms this. However, while most of the focus is on calls and texts, new research reveals that streaming music can also be a risk factor, which is one reason why you shouldn’t drive with headphones.
A study published in JAMA Network Open reports that on average, there are 15.1% more fatal accidents on the days a new major album is released compared to the days before and after it. The research also took into account factors that increase the risk of an accident: the time of day, day of the week and the number of people in the car.
Instead of focusing on individual behavior, the Harvard researchers focused on times when there was an increase in accidents. They used the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a national database of fatal car crashes, and compared the data with Spotify streaming rankings and album release dates. They took a sample of data spanning a six-year period from 2017 to 2022, resulting in the 15.1% statistic.
What this means for streaming services and music enthusiasts
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When a conclusive link was established between phone use in the car and the likelihood of a person being in an accident, strict regulations were implemented to combat this phenomenon. Music streaming is a bit more nuanced, and while there’s certainly a connection, that 15% increase still only shows a correlation between album release days and crashes, not music streaming in general. Unless you can isolate music streaming as a risk factor, popular streaming services like Spotify are unlikely to take action.
This distinction is logical; It’s not that listening to music makes you more vulnerable to danger on the road — although some studies link loud, fast music to reckless driving — but rather that playing 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 ever-changing user interface.
As long as you set up your stream before you start driving, no research conclusively indicates that streaming music while driving is inherently dangerous. Additionally, with in-car infotainment systems like Android Auto introducing new features that enhance the hands-free experience, the risk can be mitigated somewhat with conversational AI and voice commands.
