Selfies kill more people than shark attacks: Report
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More people die trying to strike the perfect pose for a selfie than a shark attack, according to a new survey.
The survey from online phone case seller Case24.com found that people are five times more likely to die trying to take a selfie than in a shark attack, U.K. magazine Travolution.com reported.
So-called “selficides” reportedly account for an average of 43 deaths a year.
The survey looked at responses from 999 women and 1,024 men and found that 41% of respondents have risked their safety for a photo with 11% admitting they were injured while taking a selfie.
Selfie accidents ranged from falls down hills to being knocked over by a wave, the New York Post reported.
A third of respondents said they visited a destination purely for the selfie. Nearly half said they would stand on the edge of a cliff for the perfect shot, followed by 19% who would stand on a train track and 7% who would climb a tall building or landmark.
Besides putting themselves at risk, 4% admitted to endangering someone else for the sake of a photo.
Results from the survey matched findings from a 2018 study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
Researchers in India scoured international media reports and found 259 people had died taking selfies between October 2011 and November 2017.
The study found the main causes of selfie deaths were drowning, usually involving people being hit by waves or falling off a boat, followed by people killed while posing in front of a moving train, falls from high places or pictures with dangerous animals.
Shark attacks account for an average of four fatalities per year, according to the International Shark Attack File’s 2019 report.
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