An App To Alert You In Dangerous "Death-By-Selfie" Zones

By SheSpeaksTeam Nov 24, 2016

Unfortunately, too many have found out too late that a taking the perfect selfie just isn’t worth putting yourself in a dangerous situation. People have gotten into serious accidents, some fatal, when attempting to capture the moment atop mountains, cliffs, driving cars, at river’s edge and so on. The selfie craze is probably here to stay, but a group of computer experts have made it their job to ensure we take safer selfies by creating a new app to alert people when they are in a “death-by-selfie zone”.

NBC News reports about the new app being created to warn users when they should forget about taking a selfie until they are in a safer place. After analyzing data from the ways people kill themselves while taking selfies, the experts came up with some of the most dangerous scenarios that should be avoided at all costs. Authors of the published report explain, “We found that most common reason of selfie death was height-related. These involve people falling off buildings or mountains while trying to take dangerous selfies.” The team also found that drowning and getting hit by a train came in second as most dangerous selfie situations.

Just in the last couple of years we have seen some 127 people get into fatal accidents while taking a selfie. And aside from deaths, serious injuries from selfies, which probably often go unreported, represent a real risk when using your phone to take a quick picture of yourself.

Once created, there is a distinct possibility every parent will want to install this safety app on their teen’s phone. The team involved in the study believe their app can help selfie-takers make better decisions. The authors write, “We believe that the study can inspire and provide footprints for technologies which can stop users from clicking dangerous selfies, and thus preventing more of such casualties.”

What do you think of the app being created to alert users when they should not risk taking a selfie?

Do you think an app like this can prevent selfie-related deaths and injuries?