Snapchatting While Driving: Doubly Dangerous?

Snapchatting while driving means viewing, creating, recording, or sending Snapchat content while operating a vehicle. It is especially dangerous because it can simultaneously take a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and attention away from traffic.

Most people know distracted driving is dangerous. They should also know that using a cellphone to take photographs, record videos, view messages, or post to social media significantly increases the risk of a collision.

Despite those dangers, some drivers continue using Snapchat behind the wheel. That behavior can be particularly distracting because creating a post may require someone to position the phone, frame an image, record a video, read text, select a feature, add a caption, and upload the content—all while the vehicle is moving.

In New Jersey, using a handheld cellphone or electronic communication device while driving is generally prohibited. Snapchatting while driving may also become important evidence of negligence when it causes or contributes to a serious accident.

Snapchat by the Numbers

Snapchat remains one of the world’s most widely used social media platforms. The application allows users to take photographs and short videos, send direct messages, share content with friends, and publish temporary posts.

The statistics in the original source article are outdated. That article cited approximately 100 million daily users and more than 9,000 snaps per second. Current Snap Inc. investor information reports that Snapchat reached approximately 971 million monthly active users during the second quarter of 2026.

The platform’s size does not establish how many people use Snapchat while driving. Reliable current data specifically measuring Snapchat use behind the wheel is limited, and older third-party percentages should not be presented as current facts.

Broader distracted-driving data nevertheless demonstrates the danger. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted-driving crashes killed 3,208 people and injured more than 315,000 people in the United States during 2024.

Distraction is also difficult to identify after a crash. Unless the driver admits using Snapchat, a witness saw the phone, or relevant digital evidence is obtained, an investigating officer may not record cellphone use as a contributing factor. Official statistics may therefore understate the full scope of distracted driving.

Snapchatting while driving can involve three forms of distraction. It is visually distracting because the driver looks at the screen, manually distracting because the driver handles the phone, and cognitively distracting because the driver thinks about creating or viewing content instead of driving.

Why Do People Use Snapchat While Driving?

People use Snapchat while driving for many of the same reasons they use it elsewhere: to communicate with friends, record what they are doing, respond to content, maintain social connections, or share something they consider interesting.

Some drivers take selfies, photograph traffic, record passengers, or post videos of the road. Others read messages or view content sent by friends. The desire to respond immediately can make a driver underestimate how long their attention leaves the roadway.

Historically, Snapchat offered a speed filter that displayed how fast a user was traveling when creating a post. Critics alleged that the feature encouraged some users to record and share increasingly high speeds.

Snap removed the speed filter in 2021. It should not be discussed as if it remains an active feature. However, the litigation and public criticism surrounding the filter remain important examples of how social media design can interact with dangerous driving behavior.

The application does not need a speed filter to create a serious distraction. A driver who records a video, takes a selfie, adds text, views a message, or selects a filter must devote attention to something other than safely operating the vehicle.

Social pressure can make the behavior worse. A driver may feel compelled to capture something immediately because temporary content, streaks, and live interactions create a sense of urgency. That perceived urgency never justifies endangering passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other motorists.

The safe choice is simple: complete the trip before opening Snapchat or pull completely off the road and stop in a place where the vehicle can safely remain stationary.

Driving Is Dangerous Enough

Driving already requires continuous attention. Motorists must monitor traffic signals, pedestrians, bicycles, lane changes, road conditions, vehicle speed, and the movements of surrounding drivers. Adding Snapchat to those responsibilities can prevent a driver from recognizing a hazard until it is too late.

The original article described a widely reported 2015 Georgia collision in which a driver allegedly used Snapchat’s former speed filter while traveling at more than 100 miles per hour. The crash left another driver with permanent brain injuries and led to years of litigation involving both the driver and Snap.

That incident should be described as a historical example rather than a recent event. According to a 2024 Reuters report, litigation concerning the former speed filter continued years after the accident. Snap removed the feature in 2021.

The case illustrates a larger problem that remains current: creating social media content while driving can combine distraction with other dangerous behavior, including speeding, aggressive driving, or failing to observe traffic signals.

A driver using Snapchat may fail to notice that traffic has stopped, a pedestrian has entered a crosswalk, another vehicle is merging, or the roadway curves ahead. Even a brief lapse can cause a rear-end collision, sideswipe, intersection crash, pedestrian accident, or roadway departure.

Snapchatting while driving can be as distracting as texting and may require even more visual and manual interaction. Creating a photograph or video may require a driver to hold and aim the phone while watching the screen. Adding text, selecting a recipient, or posting content extends the period of distraction.

A driver may believe that looking away for only a few seconds is harmless. At highway speeds, however, a vehicle can travel a substantial distance while the driver is not meaningfully watching the road.

No Snapchat post is worth causing a permanent injury or death. Drivers should put their phones away before moving and use permitted hands-free features only when they can do so safely.

Snapchatting While Driving Is Against the Law in New Jersey

New Jersey generally prohibits a driver from using a handheld wireless telephone or electronic communication device while operating a moving vehicle on a public road. Snapchatting while driving can violate that prohibition when the driver holds or manually interacts with a phone to view, create, record, or send content.

Under N.J.S.A. 39:4-97.3, using a wireless telephone or electronic communication device while driving is unlawful unless the telephone or device is used hands-free and its placement does not interfere with required safety equipment. Even when hands-free use is technically permitted, the driver must exercise a high degree of caution.

The law permits limited handheld use when a driver has reason to fear for their life or safety, believes a criminal act may be committed, or needs to report a fire, traffic accident, serious road hazard, medical emergency, hazardous-material emergency, or apparently reckless or impaired driver.

Routine Snapchat use does not fall within those emergency exceptions.

New Jersey treats handheld cellphone enforcement seriously. According to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, the current penalties are:

• First offense: A fine of $200 to $400
• Second offense: A fine of $400 to $600
• Third and subsequent offenses: A fine of $600 to $800

A third or subsequent offense can also result in three motor-vehicle points and a driver’s license suspension of up to 90 days.

A traffic citation and a civil personal injury claim are separate matters. If Snapchatting while driving causes a crash, an injured person may use evidence of the driver’s phone activity to support a negligence claim. The injured person must still establish that the distraction caused or contributed to the collision and resulting harm.

Depending on the circumstances, Snapchat use may also support allegations of careless or reckless driving. A serious-injury or fatal accident can produce legal consequences far beyond the standard handheld-device fine.

New Jersey also applies stricter electronic-device restrictions to permit and probationary drivers. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission advises that these drivers cannot use cellphones or other interactive wireless devices while driving, whether handheld or hands-free.

Who Could Be Liable After a Crash Caused By Snapchat Use?

A driver who causes a crash while using Snapchat may be held civilly liable for the resulting injuries and losses. Viewing, recording, typing, or posting on a phone can show that the driver failed to use reasonable care.

Proving Snapchat use may require more than suspicion. Relevant evidence can include witness statements, dashboard-camera footage, surveillance recordings, admissions, cellphone records, application data, metadata, and social media content created close to the time of the crash.

A post’s timestamp may be important, but it does not necessarily prove that the driver personally created it at the exact moment of impact. Attorneys must compare digital evidence with the crash timeline, vehicle data, witness accounts, and physical evidence.

The distracted driver may not be the only potentially responsible party. If the driver was working when the collision occurred, an employer may be liable under certain circumstances. A vehicle owner, commercial carrier, or another negligent party may also share responsibility.

Claims against the company that developed an application are much more complicated. A driver’s Snapchat use does not automatically make Snap legally liable. Product design, causation, foreseeability, jurisdiction, and federal protections applicable to online platforms may affect such a claim.

Litigation involving Snapchat’s former speed filter demonstrates that application-design claims may be considered under unusual circumstances, but such cases are highly fact-specific. The primary claim after most Snapchat-related accidents remains against the distracted driver and other parties legally responsible for that person’s conduct.

New Jersey follows a modified comparative-negligence system. An injured claimant can generally recover when their negligence is not greater than the negligence attributed to the party or parties from whom recovery is sought. The claimant’s compensation is then reduced according to their percentage of responsibility.

For example, if the distracted driver was primarily responsible but the injured person was found 20% at fault for speeding, the injured person’s damages would generally be reduced by 20%.

Compensation in a Snapchat-related accident claim may include medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, rehabilitation, property damage, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and future care.

Punitive damages may be considered only in exceptional cases involving especially egregious conduct. They are not automatically available merely because a driver opened Snapchat. The complete circumstances—including speed, duration of use, prior warnings, and other reckless behavior—must be evaluated.

If you suspect that the other driver was snapchatting while driving, preserve evidence immediately. Social media content may disappear, be deleted, or become difficult to obtain. A preservation notice and properly tailored discovery requests may be necessary.

Mattiacci Law’s guide explains how to document evidence after a car accident and why digital information, witness accounts, photographs, and video should be secured promptly.

A New Jersey personal injury lawyer at Mattiacci Law can investigate the driver’s phone use, preserve social media evidence, request relevant records, and identify the insurance coverage and parties involved.

Hurt by a Distracted Driver? Get Help from an Attorney Today

The dangers of using a cellphone while driving are real. The best way to protect yourself and others is to put the phone away before the vehicle begins moving. Do not take photographs, record videos, view snaps, or post content while driving.

If you are involved in an accident caused by another person’s Snapchat use, prioritize medical care and evidence preservation. Call police, photograph the scene when it is safe, and obtain witness information. Avoid confronting the other driver about deleting or surrendering their phone.

Tell the investigating officer if you personally saw the driver using a phone or if the driver admitted using Snapchat. Do not access another person’s device or online account without authorization.

Save any publicly available posts, usernames, messages, or screenshots connected to the collision, but preserve the original context. A screenshot alone may not establish who created the content or precisely when it was recorded. An attorney can seek additional information through lawful discovery procedures.

Mattiacci Law represents people injured by distracted drivers throughout New Jersey. Our attorneys can investigate cellphone use, preserve social media evidence, obtain witness statements, communicate with insurers, and pursue compensation for accident-related losses.

Call the Mattiacci Law New Jersey office at 856-219-2481 or contact Mattiacci Law online for a free consultation. The New Jersey office is located at 110 Marter Avenue, Suite 502A, Moorestown, NJ 08057. There is no attorney’s fee unless compensation is recovered.

This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Liability, evidence, insurance coverage, damages, and filing deadlines depend on the circumstances of each case.