Views to die for? 'Selfie seats' proposed for tourist destinations in Ireland to curb accidents

Warning signs have been places at Cliffs of Moher - one of Ireland's most visited natural attractions - due to instability. Photo / Getty Images

Despite the natural beauty of Ireland's landscapes, one politician hopes to stop tourists putting their lives in danger for social media snaps.

With the advent of social media and the popularity of selfies on platforms like Instagram, people are risking their lives to share increasingly dangerous photos online.

The Irish Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Jim Daly has used his strong views on the problem of risky selfies at beauty spots to table a novel solution.

Mr Daly introduced a proposal to install "selfie seats" at popular tourist destinations around Ireland, according to Lonely Planet.

The proposal was submitted to the Irish national tourism development authority, Failte Ireland – and he believes the seats would help prevent accidents, as well as being an "innovative marketing tool".

They would be installed at scenic spots like the Cliffs of Moher, where warnings have been issued in the past due to instability at the cliff edge.

"Families and individuals love taking photographs of themselves in areas of natural beauty. But often it is almost impossible to find a steady location or to know where the best shot is,' he told Ireland's Southern Star newspaper.

"Tourists, being time sensitive, like to know where to go and what to do. They also like clear shots rather than grainy images on their social media and Instagram."

He said the seats would be "high on practicality and light on costs" and could be installed unobtrusively, to "protect the character" of the area being showcased.

Last year an investigation by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences discovered there were 259 selfie-related deaths in the past eight years.

Tracking incidents reported on as "selfie accidents" the investigation found 98 people died in social media related accidents in 2016 alone.

The study also revealed that 73 per cent of fatal selfie victims were male, versus 27 per cent female, arguing that men were more prone to high-risk behaviour in pursuit of photos.

The study also found that the 18-24 demographic were disproportionately represented in selfie deaths, while the countries with the most 'deaths by selfie' were India, Russia and the USA.