The danger of a selfie

We all love a selfie, but it seems that not everyone is aware that there is a time and place to take one. Results from a survey conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists showed that 9% of people asked if they had taken a picture when driving, admitted to taking a selfie whilst at the wheel in the last month. On average a staggering 17% of drivers under the age of 35 admitted to being snap happy while they were in the driver seat.

Only 500 people were actually interviewed during the survey, so you can imagine how high the percentage would be if every driver in the UK was asked, and in an unexpected twist, men are more likely to be guilty of snapping away than women!

Even though it is foolish and dangerous, a new trend seems to have taken off on social media with people tagging the pictures with #drivingselfie. But would you be tempted to pout at the camera, if you knew that it had the same effects as drink driving?

Obviously reaching for your phone is a distraction when you are driving, but it effects your concentration and reactions in the same way that drink and drug driving does. People are now calling for even harsher penalties if people are caught using their phone behind the wheel, but since it is actually illegal anyway, it shouldn't be too hard to enforce.

There is a time and a place for a selfie, and behind the wheel of  a moving car is not one of them.