One of the newer Snapchat filters, Speed, is causing some issue. What are filters? They are add-ons you can use for Snapchats. According to their website, “Jazz up your Snap by adding a fun overlay with a Filter! After you take a Snap, swipe right or left on the preview screen to add colored filters, the current time, local weather, speed overlays or Geofilters to your Snaps.”

Newer filters included date, location, and other geo-filters. More recently, their “speed” filter has been making headlines – it allows users to record the speed they are traveling when the image was taken.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?

Of course they have the standard warning – “don’t snap and drive” – but they are forgetting who their core demographic is – teens and 20 somethings. They take risks, think they’re invincible, and all of that good stuff. I can’t imagine many teens running with their phones while taking pictures to use this filter. I can see some as passengers in a car, but unfortunately I can also envision teens using it while they are driving.

A news story was making its rounds last week. A teen got into an accident while she was trying to use the speed filter. The man she hit was severely injured, with traumatic brain injury among other things. He is now suing the family of the teen driver and Snapchat.

The teen driver openly admitted the reason for the crash. From the article: “McGee wanted to post an image of herself going fast. She argued that she was, ‘Just trying to get the car to 100 miles per hour to post it on Snapchat.'” the victim’s lawyers say.”

My first thought was about the man and his family suing Snapchat – should the social media company be held responsible for the accident? My first inclination was against suing – I likened it to suing a beer company for an accident that involved a drunk driver who was drinking that particular beer. There are plenty of warnings about drinking and driving, and if someone chooses to abuse the product, they and they alone should be held accountable.

However, as I thought about it and learned more about the story, I may be changing my mind. First, I do believe that social sites have a responsibility in the features of their product. As I mentioned earlier, there’s not much to do with a filter that records speed outside of driving, at least not much that would appeal to Snapchat’s users. It’s almost asking for trouble.

Secondly, according to the lawsuit, Snapchat was aware of other similar accidents while using this filter, and a petition was started on change.org that encouraged the company to remove the filter. Yet the filter remains.

If the company has in fact become aware of instances in which the filter was directly responsible for car accidents and has not removed it, then I think it’s fair game for this victim to sue the company. Unlike my beer analogy, this filter is directly tied to activities that could put a driver in harm’s way. Beer is not meant to be consumed while driving, operating a bicycle, or even roller skating for that fact. This filter is designed to be used specifically to track speed, and driving is a significant method for doing so.

I will be watching this story develop as it plays out in court. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts – do you think the victim in this accident is right in suing Snapchat? Please leave your comments below and join in the conversation!