Over 3 million Instagram users in the USA pose for ‘driving selfies’ whilst behind the wheel. Using the hashtags ‘driving home’ and ‘driving selfie’, the Instagram users place themselves at risk as they take their hands off the wheel to take self-portraits on the move.
On US roads in 2011, distracted drivers were the cause of 3,331 deaths. To pose for and to edit an Instagram selfie requires a fair amount of concentration, if you want to do it properly. That is, choosing a good angle, tagging a location, and picking the perfect filter, frame, and effect. Then there’s the lengthy process of the hashtags.
Dr. Linda Degutis, of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in the USA has warned of the increased danger amongst young drivers. She warned that it is “especially risky for young, inexperienced drivers- who are already extremely vulnerable to crashes to be distracted when they are behind the wheel.”
She added that “answering a call or reading a text is never worth a loss of life.”
More than 3 million posts on Instagram are tagged #driving, and nearly 50,000 posts are tagged #drivinghome. More than 9,000 are tagged #drivingtowork and more than 3,5000 are listed as #driving selfie.
Some users have added comments to their pictures, such as ‘Cruise control set, time to chill’ and ‘I hope I don’t crash’. Let’s hope they don’t; the resulting duck face surely wouldn’t be very pretty.
What do you think of driving selfies? Irresponsible? Or worth the risk? Let us know by dropping a comment below.
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