“A cool selfie can cost you your life” is the new warning being issued by Russia’s Interior Ministry in a new nationwide safety campaign, reports CNN.
This initiative hopes to reduce instances of injuries and death resulting from the proliferation of “selfies,” particularly those taken in precarious situations in attempt to create shock value on social media.
Many of the guidelines are based on historical incidences of selfie harm, which in Russia alone, includes one woman who accidentally shot herself while taking a picture with a handgun and a teenager who was killed by a train when snapping a photo of herself on railroad tracks.
“Each of these cases could have been prevented,” the Ministry said in a statement. “When a person is trying to take a picture of themselves, they become distracted, lose their balance, they don’t look around and don’t feel in danger.”
Some of the guidelines that the Ministry provide, as translated by Hyperallergic Media, include:
• SELFIE on the water – hard to keep your balance!
• SELFIE on the roof of a building – it’s a long-distance fall!
• SELFIE behind the wheel – can make your road a lot shorter!
In addition to their danger to life and limb, selfies have recently become the focus of another insurance controversy. In April, the press put a spotlight on several British insurers who claimed that vacation selfies were a violation of policyholders’ “reasonable care” clause, arguing that it enables thieves to know their homes were empty and thus more susceptible to theft.
“It's possible that your insurance cover could be affected if you explicitly announce your plans on social media,” warned the Financial Ombudsman Service. “You wouldn't put a poster up on your front lawn saying you're going on holiday.”
Several policyholders in North America contend that their insurers have denied claims for this reason as well, although these reports remain unsubstantiated. Still, it’s hard to disagree with the Russian Interior Ministry’s motto: “Even a million ‘likes’ on social media are not worth your life and well-being.”
