We are constantly being reminded of how dangerous it is to use your phone while driving, and now a teenager in the US is facing serious charges for doing so.
According to reports this morning, Christal McGee is being charged on three serious counts for her part in a car crash that left another driver with brain damage.
Just before the crash, McGee was allegedly using her phone to capture and send a Snapchat image using the app’s ‘speed filter’, which records the speed at which you are travelling and sends it to your followers.
Moments after the accident, 18-year-old McGee sent out yet another Snapchat image to her followers, the caption reading ‘lucky to be alive’. She walked away from the accident with minor injuries.
When police made the discovery, they charged her with serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving, and driving too fast for condition.
The family of the other driver, Wentworth Maynard – who now requires 24-hour care – have since brought a legal case against Snapchat. They argue that the app’s speed filter promotes speeding and dangerous driving, and claim that McGee increased her speed limit in order to capture the image and share it with her followers.
Snapchat is rejecting the claims and fighting the case.
