MORE PEOPLE DIE FROM SELFIES THAN SHARK ATTACKS

Travelers and phone camera lovers need to note a new danger that has recently come to light. This new life-threatening hazard has sprung up in the past few years and has occupied our lives. It is also proving to be twice as lethal as being killed by a shark. What is this potential new threat? Well, it is the selfie. Yes – love ‘em or hate ‘em, the desire to take a photo of yourself in front of a world famous site, or to strike a pose and pout with a friend has resulted in more deaths in 2015 than shark attacks. It has been reported that so far this year, 12 people have died as a result of trying to take a selfie. This compares to just six deaths due to unprovoked shark attacks.

Selfie-related accidents can happen in all manner of circumstances. The website Wikipedia.com has detailed the twelve deaths seen this year. They include two Russian men who were killed while taking a selfie with a hand grenade; three Indian students who were killed by an oncoming train while taking selfies on train tracks; and an American woman who fell to her death while taking a selfie with her boyfriend on a cliff in South Africa. The latest death came last month when a Japanese tourist died falling down the stairs while trying to get a shot of himself at the Taj Mahal in India. There may be more. A Russian government spokeswoman told reporters that in July, there were, “dozens of selfie-related deaths” in Russia alone.

The other fatal trend is the selfie-sticks. They have become very popular in recent years. They were designed so that people with mobile cameras could take photos of themselves. It seems as though everyone in the world is taking selfportraits to put on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Even the president of the USA has been seen taking selfies. However, many people are getting angry with others who use selfie sticks, especially at tourist attractions. One passenger who used the stick on a rollercoaster at Disney California Adventure shut the ride down for nearly an hour. As a result Disney has decided to ban selfie sticks at all of its theme parks around the world from July the 1st. The entertainment giant has become the latest company to ban the sticks. Universal Studios was one of the first companies to put a ban in place. Many museums now also ban them. The PC World magazine offers a solution. It wrote: “Maybe you should…use the selfie sticks that we’re all born with - your arms.”