Other analyses of real-life behavior were more troubling: A recent study found that searches related to suicidal intent rose greatly with the release of “13 Reasons Why,” a Netflix series addressing the suicide of a teenager.

In the spirit of these studies, we analyzed the impact of “The Fast and the Furious” series, Universal Studio’s largest-grossing franchise, with eight movies as of 2017. The movies’ focus is illegal street racing and heists, featuring reckless driving and souped-up street cars. Most studies of media and behavior look at risk-taking or violence more generally, but the “Fast and Furious” movies emphasize one particular type of risky behavior: fast driving.

Over the years, various police departments around the country have increased traffic patrols near theaters during the period of the movies’ releases.

But what does the data show?

Using detailed traffic violation data from Montgomery County, Md., we were able to examine all speeding tickets there from 2012 to 2017. This length of time allowed us to investigate the effect of three movies in the “Fast and Furious” series. Looking at the 192,892 speeding tickets recorded, we analyzed the average miles per hour over the speed limit that drivers were charged with going on a given day.

We found a large increase in the average speed of drivers who received speeding tickets on the weekends after “Fast and Furious” releases. Comparing the three weekends before each movie’s release with the three weekends after, we found that the speeds people were given tickets for increased almost 20 percent, to an average of 19 miles per hour over the speed limit, from 16 miles per hour.