So many people have died taking selfies in the past few years that there is a Wikipedia page dedicated to the tragedies.
A study posted in the US National Library of Medicine showed that taking selfies has become very dangerous. It seems since 2011, there have been 259 deaths related to selfie accidents. Many of the deaths occur while selfies are taken on boats and around bodies of water; people end up drowning because they don't see risks behind them. Other causes include being hit by a vehicle or falling.
The study concludes:
From October 2011 to November 2017, there have been 259 deaths while clicking selfies in 137 incidents. The mean age was 22.94 years. About 72.5% of the total deaths occurred in males and 27.5% in females. The highest number of incidents and selfie-deaths has been reported in India followed by Russia, United States, and Pakistan. Drowning, transport, and fall form the topmost reasons for deaths caused by selfies. We also classified reasons for deaths due to selfie as risky behavior or non-risky behavior. Risky behavior caused more deaths and incidents due to selfies than non-risky behavior. The number of deaths in females is less due to risky behavior than non-risky behavior while it is approximately three times in males.
A possible solution could be "No Selfie Zones" around bodies of water, tall buildings, mountain peaks, and subway stations.
It's a problem all over the world, from Canada to Australia.
There isn't a whole lot of sympathy for something most people have done at one time or another.
It seems that not everyone realizes how serious an issue this actually has become. Any precautions we can take to eliminate the dangers of taking a selfie should be enacted. Perhaps the first precaution should be, when it's possible, get someone else to photograph you instead of trying to photograph yourself.
H/T: CNN, Washington Post
