phone taking picturesTaking one’s picture or”selfie” is 2013’s word of the year for Oxford Dictionary. Everybody seems to have the inclination to take their self-portraits and post it on social media sites. The article says selfies can be found on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter; often as status showing off a good hair day, fun accessories, a new outfit, and anything that the person wanted to show off.

However, AAA Utah is alarmed by a great number of “selfies” featuring a person behind the wheel or driving. According to the article, some drivers admitted to doing it, saying they do it, “usually when I’m stopped at a light” or “at a stoplight, but not while moving.”

It was disclosed that AAA’s research shows taking a photo for two seconds means your eyes are off the road for nearly half a football field. With six-second videos popular on Vine and 15-second videos, the latest feature on Instagram, drivers are distracted for the distance of up to nearly four football fields.

Distracted drivers are actually exposing themselves and others to higher risks for accidents on the road. Rolayne Fairclough with AAA Utah stated that depending on the speed that you are travelling, five seconds of distracted driving can make you travel a great distance without focus and this could easily result to an accident that can kill the driver or the other motorists. With the inclement weather and heavy traffic, many things can possibly happen that could be worsened by distracted driving.

AAA wants to discourage drivers from taking “selfies” because this could be another distraction that could have fatal results.

According to the article, Utah has a law against texting while driving. Some other states have similar laws and also require hands-free devices while behind the wheel.

Christensen & Hymas believes that driving is a serious task and should not be mixed with any activity that could distract the driver. Safety should be the main priority of every motorist. However, if you have suffered injuries from an accident caused by a distracted driver, you deserve to be compensated. Call us at (801) 506-0800, we have knowledgeable personal injury lawyers who can help you with your compensation claims.

Original article by Annie Cutler of Fox 13

Image courtesy of wikipedia