Ever since its debut in 2011, Snapchat has taken the world by storm, especially here in America. It seems that every time I walk outside, particularly among those under the age of 18, I watch these kids contort their faces for the strangest pictures. Yeah, go ahead and pretend that you weren’t trying to look like Heimlich the caterpillar from “A Bug’s Life.”
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not 100 years old. I’ve used Snapchat before. I downloaded it to entertain myself with the filters for a while before I got bored and deleted it from my phone, but I’ll still take the occasional picture with my friends or sisters. I personally don’t have a favorite filter; I’m a fan of anything that makes me look stupid enough to cry laughing.
So, we’ve established this true fact; Snapchat is a part of our lives now. For how long, who knows, but it’s a reality with which we have to live.
The sad thing is that the people who use this app the most are the ones who tend to be the newest and least experienced drivers.
We all have heard of the dangers of texting and using our phones while driving. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve come across detailing the horrible injuries and deaths that have occurred because of negligent drivers who were using their phones while behind the wheel. I shrugged off every repeated story about the dangers of texting and driving that my family and friends told me when I was learning how to drive, and it wasn’t until a couple years later that I realized how important it was to listen to them.
Texting while driving is incredibly distracting, so I can’t even begin to imagine how distracting Snapchat is. According to a report published by DMR, 11 percent of people have admitted to using Snapchat while driving. Likewise, according to an article by Distracted Driver Accidents, if a high school student is driving and using their phone, there’s a 38 percent chance they’re going to be using Snapchat.
Okay, what? I was uncomfortable with adjusting the radio and driving at the same time in high school, and these kids are taking pictures and videos of themselves while they’re operating a two-ton death machine. Remind me to steer clear of any Starbucks or outlet malls.
While there are laws in place that prohibit people from texting while driving (and even the use of a phone while driving if one is under a certain age), there are no laws as of right now set in place prohibiting the use of Snapchat or other apps like that. According to the law, you’re free to take as many pictures of yourself with a halo of butterflies as you want.
This is astounding and rather horrifying. We can’t text someone while driving, but we’re free to face-swap with our besties? Yeah, I don’t really see the logic in that. I’ve come across one too many stories of people who killed or were killed by drivers using Snapchat. We’ve already established that texting is too distracting a task to perform while driving; shouldn’t Snapchat and other similar apps be prohibited as well?
According to Icebike.org, over one million people worldwide have died this year alone as a result of a motor vehicle accident. I can’t imagine how many of those deaths could have been prevented had the driver been more cautious, with their eyes on the road instead of eyes on their phone.
I do my best not to touch my phone while driving; for instance, if I’m listening to music, I’ll get it set up before I go. I’ve realized now as I’ve gotten older how distracting phones are. I didn’t realize how easy it would be to use one while driving, especially now that driving has become second nature to me. I value my life and the lives of the people I’m driving with way more than sending an immediate response to a person’s text or Snapchat. The car, while an amazing innovation, is also an extremely dangerous one, and it’s proven to be deadly when put into the wrong hands. I implore you, readers, to think twice before using Snapchat, texting or any other app; it could potentially save your life as well as the lives of your passengers.
By Katherine Carter, Editorial/Opinion Editor
