Do you love taking a selfie or checking social media while driving? Then you’re not alone.
In a survey by Ford of 7,000 smartphone-owning 18-to-24-year-olds across Europe, 50% of the respondents from the UK admitted that they had taken a selfie while driving. This was followed by the Germans and the French, both nations shared the equal figure of 28%. The lowest in the survey are Belgian drivers at 17%.
However, taking a selfie is not the biggest crime as talking on the phone without a hands-free kit, which is the biggest offense among European youths, with 44% of all respondents admitted to doing so, with Russian and Swedish drivers (70%) being the most likely and UK drivers (15%) the least likely.
When it comes to checking updates on Facebook or Twitter feeds, 25% of all respondents claimed to have accessed social media sites while driving on the road, with 95% admitting they knew their action was dangerous when asked if such activities were dangerous. The survey also indicated that young male drivers were the most likely to ignore the risks.
Researchers found out that taking a ‘selfie’ at the wheel could distract a driver for 14sec, and checking social media distracts for as much as 20sec – which translates to a car can travel approximately up to half a kilometer when speeding at 60km/h.
If you want to take a picture of yourself while on the driver’s seat, do drive safely to your destination. Afterall, the last thing you want to do is to be part of the statistics here. Remember “But first let me take a selfie….” should only apply when your car is stationary.
[Source: Autoblog & AFP]
