You are more likely to die taking a selfie than by sharks, if death data from Wikipedia is anything to go by.
The Daily Telegraph reports that as many as 480 people are believed to have died after taking a selfie.
Wikipedia data estimates that 379 people died in selfie-related accidents Jan 2008-Jul 2021. This means far more people die from taking selfies than from shark attacks, which on average account for just five to six deaths per year globally.
Examples over the past 10 years include the English hiker who died in 2015 after being struck by lightning in the Brecon Beacons, with it suspected that his extended metal selfie stick acted as a lightning rod.
That same year a man was gored to death in Pamploma while trying to take a selfie in the midst of the Running of the Bulls, and a man who climbed a fence in India attempting to take a selfie with a lion was mauled to death. There are also countless accounts of people passing away after trying to take a selfie on front of a moving train, on top of a moving train, or hanging out the window of one.
Speaking on the dangerous phenomenon of selfies, Steve Cole, policy director at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents told the Daily Telegraph that, according to a recent study, falls from heights are the most common injury mechanism in selfie-related incidents, followed by drowning.
“This trend of taking selfies in hazardous locations, such as on the edge of cliffs or during extreme weather conditions, is a concerning behaviour,” he told the outlet. “The allure of social media recognition often drives individuals to take these unnecessary risks, underestimating the potential dangers involved.”
. . . Where?
Wikipedia’s list of the most deadly spots to take a selfie can be found HERE. It shows that the countries with the highest occurrences are India, followed by Russia, US and Pakistan. The most at risk, says Wikipedia, are 23 year old males, with male selfie deaths outnumbering females at around three to one. (No comment on that last point; it’s too easy).
