668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have Blood on Their Hands?

The podcast explores the correlation between the release of popular music albums on streaming services and a spike in traffic fatalities. It highlights a study using data from 2017-2022 that found a 15% increase in traffic deaths on album release days, translating to roughly 18 extra deaths per day. Vishal Patel, a surgery resident and researcher, initiated the study after a near-miss experience while using his smartphone to play a new album while driving. The study addresses potential confounding factors such as increased alcohol consumption and the day of the week but ultimately suggests that younger drivers are more affected. Bapu Jena, physician and economist, discusses the implications of the findings and the challenges of obtaining detailed driver behavior data.