JAMA Network Home
Sign In
Original Investigation

Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities

JAMA Network Open 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.29282

August 17, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT

Read the full article

In this cross-sectional study of US traffic fatalities, major music album releases, accompanied by increased online streaming, were associated with a significant increase in traffic fatalities, suggesting that online music streaming through smartphones may significantly contribute to distracted driving and traffic fatalities.

Corresponding Author: Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhD, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (jena@hcp.med.harvard.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.29282?utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=081726

Copy to clipboard

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.

Editor's Picks