People are putting themselves in hazardous situations in order to take extreme selfie photographs. Distraction adds to the risk.
A 2018 global study revealed that the quest for extreme selfies killed 259 people between 2011 and 2017. Many of the deaths occurred at the tops of mountains, on tall buildings and by lakes. The incidence has grown: there were only three reports of selfie-related deaths in 2011, but that number grew to 98 in 2016 and 93 in 2017. It is assumed that selfie deaths are underreported, for example those precipitating road accidents while posing for selfies.