A startrescue.co.uk story...

Taking a 'selfie' is generally a harmless activity, unless you're behind the wheel of a moving vehicle at the time.

This is what 29-year-old Jordan Toner did while driving in Hampden, Maine. He tried to take the snap with seven passengers in the car – when he lost control and ploughed into a tree.

Two females in the front of the vehicle were not wearing seatbelts and were taken to a local hospital by ambulance. One received treatment for a broken nose, while the other was hospitalised with suspected back and neck injuries.

“Toner leaned over to take a ‘selfie’ picture with his friends and ran off the road into a tree,” police said in a statement.

Two males in the vehicle also sustained minor injuries.

Toner will appear in court for “failing to maintain control of a motor vehicle due to being distracted.” A financial penalty is likely and he could lose his licence.

The phenomena of taking selfies behind the wheel is unfortunately not a new one. A survey by Ford last year revealed that one in three British drivers had taken a selfie behind the wheel.

Also in 2014, two Iranian girls were filming themselves singing in the front of a car when they lost control and crashed. The shocking video received 2.7m hits on YouTube.

But the recent incident in the USA is perhaps a reminder that wearing a seatbelt is at least as important as not taking a selfie behind the wheel.