Check your selfie before you wreck your selfie

Since we all Know Everything, everyone must know what a “selfie” is, right? A “selfie” is a photo of yourself usually taken with a smartphone, then posted immediately on a social media platform. It only takes a few seconds to snap a photo and your smartphone makes it so easy to post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any of your chosen social media platforms. Don’t forget to use the hasthag, #selfie! Over 40 million posts have used this hashtag. Look at mine from today with my IKnowEverything sunglasses on!

Sounds easy, right? You could probably do it anywhere, like in your car, and at any time, like when you’re driving, since it takes only a few seconds, right? Check out this picture of a driver taking a selfie while she’s driving behind the wheel:

According to the person in the passenger seat taking the photo, the driver is taking a selfie while the car is moving. Cool, huh?

Wrong.

This picture should scare you. Selfies are dangerous and just plain stupid if they’re done while you’re driving a car, walking along the street as a pedestrian, while you’re bicycling, or doing anything else that requires 100% of your attention in order to arrive at your destination safely. It takes only a few seconds to get yourself into an unsafe situation on the road that may be difficult to get out of, or worse, may hurt you, a loved one or someone you don’t even know. So while selfies are a fun, quick way to share something you’re doing with friends, they just don’t make sense — and are very dangerous — while you’re driving.

Jaime Alvis
#knowitall
Director, Government Relations & Traffic Safety
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility