New Album Releases May Distract Drivers, Study Finds

Researchers studied whether big music releases can affect road safety.

They looked at the 10 most-streamed albums released during the study period.

They compared traffic deaths before and after each album came out.

On major release days, traffic fatalities were 15.1 per cent higher.

The researchers think some drivers may use their phones to stream or search for new songs.

Looking at a phone while driving can take attention away from the road.

The study began after Vishal Patel nearly drifted out of his lane while searching Spotify.

The findings suggest that listening to newly released music on a phone may create a distraction for drivers.