Cell phone technology continues to advance at impressive rates, and many smartphones may come equipped with a variety of useful tools. Your phone may even have a camera that can take pictures or record videos at high qualities. Having such an item to capture life experiences can be exceedingly beneficial.
Such advancements may contribute to the rising trend of taking selfies, and individuals in Colorado may use their phones to capture images at virtually any location. Unfortunately, some drivers may even take time to take a picture or record footage while behind the wheel of a vehicle, and such negligence could place your safety at significant risk.
Driver distractions
Cell phone use continues to be one of the leading causes of distractions. The act of taking a selfie while operating a vehicle can be exceedingly dangerous. Some of the ways such a decision might affect your ability to operate a vehicle may include:
- What lies ahead: Anything that forces you to take your eyes off the road while driving can be exceedingly dangerous, and the act of taking a selfie inherently promotes similar behavior.
- Reacting to traffic: Those who take selfies while driving may take one or both hands off the wheel in the process. Similar forms of manual distraction may only increase the risk of a collision.
- Impact on your concentration: The act of taking a selfie may also disrupt your concentration. Anything that draws your focus off the task at hand while driving can prove dangerous.
- Response times: Similar types of distraction can also take a significant toll on your ability to identify and respond to changes in traffic patterns, which is an integral component of safe driving.
Even if you choose to avoid taking selfies while driving, if you encounter someone who does not feel the same, there might be little you can do to keep disaster at bay.
Motor vehicle accidents
Distracted driving continues to play a significant role in many major collisions, and sometimes it might be difficult to detect the presence of such negligence in time to reach safety. While actions such as taking a selfie may only take a moment, a few seconds of inattention could be all it takes to create a hazardous situation. The repercussions of that moment could have a lingering effect on your life. Suffering serious harm due to the actions of another driver could prove a difficult thing to accept.