While the dangers of using a cellphone while behind the wheel are well known, people continue engaging in this deadly practice on a daily basis. It is not uncommon to see people texting and checking their email while driving down the road, putting lives in danger. Yet, an even more dangerous behavior has taken society by storm, taking selfies while driving. Drivers take pics of themselves in various poses behind the wheel and then continue on to post them to social media.
A quick look at various social media platforms shows this trend in full force. Instagram has more than 3,730 posts under #drivingselfie and more than 1,800 under #drivingselfies. Under #drivingtowork, there are more than 9,700 posts with pics of drivers behind the wheel. More posts can be found on Snapchat and Facebook. Driving selfies and videos have led to some catastrophic incidents where a car wreck, initiated by the driver not looking at the road, is actually caught on the camera. This pic marks the final words of some unfortunate drivers.
In order to take a selfie, drivers must remove their hands from the steering wheel and take their eyes off the road. For moments they are not looking at where their car is going. When the motorist continues to type in a caption and post the pic to social media, their concentration is also taken off the road, causing cognitive distraction. Drivers are unable to respond to hazards that may appear, such as objects in the road, bad weather conditions, traffic signals, pedestrian crosswalks and other emergency situations.
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