Selfie Bans and Warnings on the Rise Due to Accidental Selfie Deaths
Posted on March 1, 2016
Some cities are banning selfies in certain places or issuing warnings due to an increase in the number of self-related deaths. People can be distracted when taking selfies or they may take an unwise risk to get a good photograph.
CBS News is reporting that Mumbai has banned selfies in sixteen different zones in the city. 40% of the 49 people who have died from selfies since 2014 have been in India. The city of Mumbai had two recent selfie-related deaths.
Mumbai police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni told CBS News, "We are also planning police patrolling in the high-risk areas for proper implementation of the ban."
CNN reports that police in Russia have been warning residents and tourists about the dangers of taking selfies. They released a brochure that warns people against selfies on railways, on boats, with animals and on the roof of a building. It even notes that taking a selfie with a weapon can kill you.
Most of the people who die in selfie accidents are young people. 70% of the deaths are people aged 18 to 23. Most of the deaths occur when people fall or drown. There are have been five selfie deaths in the U.S.
These Russian selfie warning images contain translation. You can see wait the warnings look like in the original Russian here.