[RahulNagaraj]

Snapchat is said to have begun removing its 'speed filter' entirely. The decision to remove the filter is said to come amidst the wake of multiple lawsuits, arguing that it encouraged dangerous driving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAE3qgdj5vA

The speed filter was introduced back in 2013 and would overlay a speed reading either in km/h or mph, over the user's video or photo. The feature was said to determine the speed of the user via GPS.

After facing a backlash, the company limited the speed readings to 35 mph, with an additional "don't snap and drive" message. However, post an unfortunate incident involving the death of three young men in the USA in 2017, the appeals court ruled that the company can be sued over the speed filter's role in the incident. This resulted in Snapchat removing the feature entirely from its app.

The parents of two of the victims from the crash sued Snapchat for the speed filter, stating that it encouraged dangerous driving. The lawsuit claimed that the two young men were driving at speeds in excess of 123 mph and using the Snapchat filter at the same time to record their high-speed run.

Reports also stated multiple other incidents, wherein users of the social media app have been involved in fatal crashes and other related incidents while using the speed filter.

Source: Buzzfeed News

[RedTerrano]

Wait what?
The driver ignored the frequent road signage posting the speed limit and the company is to blame for this?

Is this a joke?

[jithin23]

A responsible move by Snapchat. This feature did cause more harm than good and drivers would lose focus on the road. Especially 18-22 year old folks would use this filter a lot. Many of them post even top speeds of bikes through this filter. Good that the filter is not in use anymore.

On a serious note, I urge younger drivers not to snap and drive, the gratification received for a few seconds is not worth for an unfortunate event.

[sarav100]

A much needed move indeed.

Another need of the hour is an artificially intelligent system in Instagram reels that can analyse videos to detect top speed runs done by drivers to showcase speed and removal/review of the video if found to be in violation of road and traffic rules.

A lot of accidents happen because someone somewhere wishes to showcase how fast he can drive on social media platform.

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Wait what?
The driver ignored the frequent road signage posting the speed limit and the company is to blame for this?

Is this a joke?

Its a hallmark of the broken US legal system which allows the proverbial moron to sue a coffee company who didn't label his coffee container as 'contents may be hot' and win big money.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

After facing a backlash, the company limited the speed readings to 35 mph, with an additional "don't snap and drive" message. However, post an unfortunate incident involving the death of three young men in the USA in 2017, the appeals court ruled that the company can be sued over the speed filter's role in the incident. This resulted in Snapchat removing the feature entirely from its app.

The parents of two of the victims from the crash sued Snapchat for the speed filter, stating that it encouraged dangerous driving. The lawsuit claimed that the two young men were driving at speeds in excess of 123 mph and using the Snapchat filter at the same time to record their high-speed run.

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Wait what?
The driver ignored the frequent road signage posting the speed limit and the company is to blame for this? Is this a joke?

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Its a hallmark of the broken US legal system which allows the proverbial moron to sue a coffee company who didn't label his coffee container as 'contents may be hot' and win big money.

What's next - sue companies that manufacture speedometers? This is the American attitude, and mindset of their courts, that you are not responsible for your own stupidities and law breaking!!! While I sympathize with the parents who have lost their child but I find it hard to be empathetic towards these careless irresponsible young men who knew exactly what they were doing. When we are young, each one of us, all have hormones bubbling within us and we test the boundaries of what we can do or not and learn from it. But 123 mph!!!! Really and you think you deserve sympathy??! As a father of grown up young adults I would place significant blame at the doorstep of the parents. A young adult does not magically or all of a sudden reach a point where he/she (normally he only) goes out and does something like this - driving at 123 mph to impress his peers/girlfriends. It is a journey of upbringing, attitudes, values, behaviour patterns, parental supervision that started 10 or 15 years earlier into his life.