After Snapchat Accident, Local Driving Instructors Say Apps Distract Drivers
BOSTON (CBS) - An accident involving the popular phone app Snapchat last September in Georgia is making headlines with a new lawsuit.
Eighteen-year-old Christal McGee posted a photo of herself with blood dripping down her face and the words "lucky to be alive". She allegedly got her Mercedes to go more than 100 miles per hour, bragging about it using Snapchat's speed filter, and slamming into a car causing the driver permanent brain damage. He is now suing McGee and Snapchat.
A Waltham driver's education student explained why Snapchat is so wildly popular with teenagers. "There are so many new updates and so many new features that they have," said 16-year-old Leo Passman. "People just love using it."
The speed filter puts a graphic over a photo, showing the speed at which the user was travelling when the picture was taken. In a statement, Snapchat said, "We actively discourage our community from using the speed filter while driving, including by displaying a 'Do NOT Snap and Drive' warning message in the app itself."
For driving instructors, it's yet another distraction to add to the battle. "It's so wrong," said CS Driving School owner Anna Sabatino.
She spends a lot of class time drilling students with the message to ignore their phones in the car. "It's on silent. You can see they're feeling it, and they're like, 'Oh, my cellphone keeps going off.'"
With new apps constantly in development, Sabatino and other safe driving advocates say it's time the technology industry take responsibility, avoiding apps that could encourage distracted driving.
