Vining While Driving: The Deadly Trend Millions Are Watching

Buckle up, crank the engine and … record a Vine video? Whether to yell at crazy drivers or poke fun at unknowing passersby, Vine users are filming a scary amount of footage while driving.

And as the fastest growing app of 2013, more users are watching and filming their own Vine videos behind the wheel.

“For me, I get more ideas when I’m in my car,” says Alx James, who, at the time of writing, has the 11th most-followed Vine account. James’ Vine videos are mostly recordings inside his car; many he records while driving.

He’s not the only one. Many other top Viners are also taking to the streets.

Despite its popularity, Vining in cars raises some traffic safety concerns. Currently, 12 states ban the use of handheld cellphone use while driving, and 41 states forbid texting while driving.

“I speculate that video recording with Vine might cause more visual distraction than voice calling or speech-based conversation,” says Jibo He, assistant professor of psychology at Wichita State University. His research focuses on eye movement and attention, especially that associated with distracted driving.

“When recording videos, users often need to visually check the angle of the camera to make sure they appear in the range of the camera,” he says. “The requirement of visual inspection for voice calling and speech-based texting is less compared to video recording.”

And because Vine requires users to keep a finger on their phones to record, additional manual distraction is a huge concern. “Any in-vehicle device shall not require visual fixations longer than two seconds,” he says.

Yet, James sees his car as a way to build context for storytelling. “The way I Vine is based on my personality,” James says. Most of the inspiration for his Vine videos originates in his car, for example, when he sees people at a stoplight. “If you went through my Vines when I first started out, I looked like a crazed road-raged Viner,” he says. “It was just me going through what normal people would go through on the road, and I was doing it in a comedic sense.”

Because he lives in rural Wilson, N.C., his day requires lots of time behind the wheel. “I live 20 or 30 minutes away from anything, so I have 30 minutes to get to my destination and think of a Vine,” he says. “Usually I would just ride around in my car and think of stuff.”

James says he often gets accused of Vining while driving, because it’s not safe.

“I live in in the middle of absolutely nowhere,” he responds. “There’s nothing but country roads where I live. I’m always going 20 mph.”

He insists he never Vines inside the city or during heavy traffic.

Brittany Furlan, who handles the third most-followed Vine account, lives in downtown Los Angeles. Unlike James, whose Vine videos mostly star himself, Furlan’s Vine videos in the car usually involve other people.

“Not great scenery but it is Hollywood, so sometimes I’ll keep my Vine open just in case I see some weirdo doing some weird shit. People love weird shit,” she says.

Furlan’s Vine videos recorded in her car involve catching passersby on the sidewalk or in a parking lot, such as her “How to Hit on Guys” series.

“I would go very slowly and pull off to the side before I started Vining, then pull away,” Furlan says. “But if someone would’ve gotten hurt because of my Vining and driving, then I don’t think anyone would be laughing, including myself, hence why I stopped doing those Vines.”

Furlan says it’s “not the smartest thing [she has] done,” but she tries to do it as safely as possible, with most of the Vines recorded while she’s parked, sitting in traffic or with someone else driving.

For James, the car is part of his Vine brand. “It’s almost weird,” he says. “I’ll think of a Vine in my house that I can do in my house, but I’ll go to my car and do it. My car is kind of like my safe haven for Vines.”

In the case of Vining in cars, however, "safe" is subjective.

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Image: Mashable composite. Images: Vine; iStockphoto, Geber86