People are taking bigger and bigger risks to get that perfect selfie.
According to a report in India’s Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, at least 259 people have died taking selfies globally, between the period of October 2011 and November 2017.
The most common types of accidents are drowning, crashing, falling and shooting. And while women take more selfies, men are more prone to taking risks and hurting themselves while taking selfies.
India holds the global record of selfie-related deaths annually, at 159 deaths recorded so far. This number is more than half the global total. To compare, Russia recorded 16 deaths, and the United States at 14 deaths.
The situation in India has become so extreme that country has resorted to installing ‘no selfie zones’ across the nation, 16 of which are in Mumbai alone.
There have been plenty of instances where youths died trying to take selfies with oncoming trains, drowned in lakes, and even electrocuted themselves when trying to take pictures on top of train wagons.