Over last 6 years more than 250 people have died taking selfies

A report by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a group of medical colleges in New Delhi, shows that over 250 people worldwide died while taking selfies just over the last six years.

Taking selfies can be dangerous

The group analyzed news reports of the 259 selfie-related deaths during the period October 2011 to November 2017. The results were published in the July-August edition of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.

The leading cause of death was drowning, followed by incidents that involved transportation and included such instances as falling from heights into water and taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train. Other causes included animals, firearms, and electrocution.

Agam Bansai, the lead author of the study said:“The selfie deaths have become a major public health problem.” India had more people die taking selfies than anywhere else on the globe.

Many other countries also had deaths from taking selfies

In addition to India reports of selfie incidents resulting in death have also come from Russia the United States and Pakistan as well as many other countries. Bansal remarked that the simple act of taking a selfie is not in itself dangerous the problem is that people try to take the perfect shot in dangerous circumstances. Bansal was concerned that many of the fatal selfies involved young people with more than 85 percent of those killed being between 10 and 30 years old. Bansai also suggested that there may be many more deaths that were not reported that are not included in the survey.

In May of this year a man in India tried to take a selfie with a wounded bear which mauled him to death.

American incidents

Just last Sept. 5 ABC news reported that an 18-year old hiker died after falling off a cliff according to the National Park Service.

The teen was identified as Turner Frankfurter a Jerusalem resident according to the Israeli foreign ministry. The boy's mother said that he slipped while trying to take a selfie at the edge of Nevada Fall.

A California woman slipped and fell to her death while taking selfies at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Tu Nguyen was hiking alone on the North Country Trail and paused to take selfies near a 200-foot cliff edge that overlooked Lake Superior. She slipped and took a fatal fall into the lake.

How to prevent fatal selfies

Bansai noted that setting up "no selfie zones" could help prevent fatal selfie incidents. Areas with cliffs near bodies of water, mountain peaks, and the tops of tall buildings would be good candidates.

India, Russia, and Indonesia along with other countries have already made attempts to keep people from taking dangerous selfies.

Just three years ago, Russia had a "Safe Selfie" camp with the slogan: “Even a million ‘likes’ on social media are not worth your life and well-being."

In Mumbai India the city declared 16 "no selfie zones" after a series of selfie-related death. In Indonesia a national park announced it would create a safe spot for photos after a hiker had died while taking a selfie.

Previously published in Digital Journal