Will Your Social Media Vanity Cause a Traffic Accident?

People who take pictures of themselves while driving may be more likely to cause accidents, according to a Dallas law firm.

While the practice of texting-while-driving has accumulated a well-earned reputation as a cause of accidents, the relatively new practice of taking “selfies” for use on social media services has yet to get the attention it deserves.

The law firm, which dramatically bills itself as 1800 CAR WRECK, cites statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control showing that 1,060 people are injured in crashes in which a distracted driver is reportedly involved.

We’ve all seen these Masters-of-Distraction on the roads and freeways. For instance there’s the infamous “headless driver,” who is fumbling around on the floor of his vehicle, looking for a CD or something. He’s so involved in his search – and so unconcerned with actual driving — that his head has dropped out of view.

Navigator Nancy is busy programming the settings on her Garmin. She’ll certainly know exactly where she is — right when her car hits the guardrail. Vain Vince is more interested in preening before the rear-view mirror than actually using it for its intended purpose.

But social media has brought a new crop of MODs, apparently. Taking selfies while driving may be a great way to show your friends that new hair-do in real time, but the practice definitely counts as a major distraction.