#drivingselfies

Distracted driving has been taken to a new level with as many as 1 in 14 teens and young adults taking selfies as they are driving. They are adding hashtags such as #drivingselfie #driving and #drivingintherain as they post them to Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram. Some have gone as far as to post selfie-videos even while on motorcycles using hashtags like #hashtagbikeselfie and #ihopeidontcrash.

When is a picture or a video worth a life? Never!

Distracted driving puts everyone at risk of a serious injury or death. It may only take a few seconds to snap a picture but a few seconds distracted is all it takes to cause an accident. A vehicle is a heavy piece of equipment that travels at high speeds, full attention while driving is necessary and needs to be taken seriously. It has been found that 12% of fatal crashes among teens were a result of distracted driving, not that they are the only ones driving distracted.

To put things into perspective, a driver taking a photo for two seconds takes their eyes off of the road for approximately 176 feet which is close to two basketball courts or half a football field.

Using a handheld device while driving is illegal and dangerous even while stopped, as long as the vehicle is running the same rule should apply “drop it and drive”.