The release of major music albums is associated with a significant increase in fatal road crashes.

According to new US research, the growing use of smartphones and in-car streaming systems could be creating a new form of driver distraction.

It adds to a body of research over the years that reveals links between music and road safety.

It’s a smash

Researchers from Harvard Medical School analysed the release dates of 10 of the most-streamed albums in the US between 2017 and 2022, including records by Taylor Swift, Drake and Harry Styles.

On release days, traffic fatalities were 15.1% higher than on comparable days immediately before and after the releases, equivalent to an estimated 182 additional deaths.

The researchers also found that streaming of the top 200 songs increased by about 43% on album release days.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the study does not prove that listening to the albums directly caused the crashes.

However, the increase was particularly pronounced among young drivers, male drivers, and people travelling alone, while the effect was stronger in good weather.

These circumstances, say the researchers, are consistent with drivers interacting with smartphones or infotainment systems to access newly released music.

Lead researcher Dr Vishal Patel said album releases provided researchers with an unusual opportunity to examine distraction because they created a predictable surge in music consumption without a corresponding change in weather or road conditions.

Fast and furious

The findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that it is not simply whether motorists listen to music that matters, but what they listen to, how loudly they play it and how much interaction is required.

A 2023 meta-analysis of 19 studies found that medium- and high-volume music increased average driving speed, while low-volume music was associated with lower speeds.

The researchers also found that music could affect physiological measures and driving performance, although the effects varied considerably between studies.

Tempo appears to be particularly important.

Earlier research found that as the tempo of music increased, so did simulated driving speed and drivers’ estimates of how fast they were travelling.

Research examining different musical genres has produced similar warnings.

A 2021 study found that more aggressive, faster-tempo music was associated with higher speeds and reduced eye movements and perception of road elements.

The effect may be partly explained by the brain responding to the rhythm of music.

High-energy tracks can increase physiological arousal, potentially encouraging drivers to accelerate or adopt more aggressive driving behaviour.

Research has also suggested that fast music competes for a driver’s limited attentional capacity.

Turn it down

Volume is another potential problem.

A review by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention concluded that music’s effects depend on factors including volume, tempo and musical style.

However, researchers have cautioned that it remains unclear which factor has the greatest influence.

The latest album research, therefore, raises a broader question about modern driving: the danger may not be the music itself, but the combination of music, smartphones, streaming services, and increasingly sophisticated infotainment systems.

For motorists, the safest approach is simple: choose a playlist before setting off, keep the volume at a level that lets outside sounds be heard, and avoid reaching for a phone or touchscreen to find a newly released track while driving.

Hits and misses

The researchers stress that their study shows an association rather than proving causation, but it is clearly another area of driver distraction.

With streaming now built into many cars, the findings suggest that the next big album release could have consequences far beyond the charts.