Tampa motorists have many things competing for their attention, from adjusting their radios to absorbing the lovely views of the Sunshine State passing by outside. Now there appears to be yet another distraction to contend with – the selfie. Like texting and driving, taking a selfie behind the wheel has the potential for grave consequences.
A woman recently lost her life at only 32 years of age. According to The Huffington Post, a minute before the fatal accident was reported, the woman was apparently posting on Facebook and had been taking selfies of herself behind the wheel. It is unclear whether the crash was caused over this behavior, but alcohol and drugs were eliminated as potential causes.
As a form of distracted driving, the dangers of taking selfies behind the wheel could be significant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns of the increased risks a distracted driver creates. Their findings for the year 2013 include the following:
- Distraction was involved in 18 percent of accidents that resulted in injury.
- Driving while distracted was a factor in the injuries of 424,000 people.
- Crashes related to distracted motorists led to 3,154 fatalities.
Car accidents related to driving while distracted cause 1,161 injuries in the United States every day. Because of people failing to pay attention to the act of driving, daily more than eight Americans lose their lives. The potential consequences of taking a selfie behind the wheel just are not worth it. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it is never worth a life.
