Study finds a 15 percent increase in traffic deaths after major music streaming releases

The Harvard Medical School study linked a 15% rise in U.S. traffic fatalities to days when major albums—such as those by Taylor Swift and Drake—debuted, finding roughly 182 excess deaths across ten release dates. Researchers matched 233,809 fatal crashes (2017-2022) with Spotify’s streaming spikes, noting that sober, young male, single-occupant drivers were most affected and that clear-weather, nighttime conditions showed the strongest increase.