Dashboard Selfies and Videos: The Latest Distracted Driving Threat

Advanced technology has inspired an alarming new trend of drivers taking selfies and videos with their smart phone cameras while driving. This popular new trend is putting drivers and pedestrians at risk for serious accidents and injuries. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to negligence, call an experienced Las Vegas injury attorney at Cogburn Law Offices today for a free case consultation.

Selfies and Videos Behind the Wheel

With the explosion of social media sites that boast millions of photos and videos, taking selfies and videos while driving has become a popular past time with young drivers. Sites like Instagram and Snap Chat show thousands of selfies and videos of young teenage drivers posing, primping, talking, singing, and doing a variety of other activities as they drive. There are over 3,700 Instagram posts under the #drivingselfie hashtag, more than 1,850 under #drivingselfies, and almost 10,000 under #drivingtowork. Some users add the optimistic tag saying #Ihopeidontcrash.

Although many young people seem obsessed with taking self-portraits and videos, not all the photos or videos shot by drivers are of themselves. Some show amusing images of passengers and pets or of outdoor scenery, activities, and people as drivers zip past them. This new distracted driving trend is not just limited to cars. There are thousands of selfies and videos posted on social media sites of people driving bicycles, scooters, ATVs. motorcycles, boats, and even piloting airplanes. Many images seen by personal injury lawyers even show selfies and videos of people in accidents while the camera is rolling.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are over 3,300 fatalities caused every year by distracted driving. Although talking and texting on cell phones while driving is now illegal in most states, laws on dashboard selfies and videos and wearable camera devices are ongoing, since the trend is so new. As distracted driving accidents and personal injuries continue to increase, law enforcement in most states is making a push to make this dangerous new trend illegal.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, teenagers and young adults are the main offenders of selfies and videos behind the wheel. The number one reason given for shooting selfies and videos while driving is sharing images with friends on social media. The second reason is boredom, followed by habit and multitasking. This alarming, dangerous new distracted driving trend has prompted Toyota to release an add called “Don’t Shoot and Drive” that is aimed at drivers who post Instagram selfies and videos. The ad shows a photo of a crashed car edited with Instagram filters.