Snapchat stops speedometer after being criticized for reckless driving

Snapchat says the filter is almost no longer in use NPR. The speed filter was introduced in 2013, and people used it to show how fast they were on a bike, train, or plane, for example. But the high speeds filmed from behind the wheel of the car were also made using the filter.

Drivers challenge each other

According to critics, the filter was a kind of proof of high speed, and encouraged both speed and phone gameplay. Snapchat has been sued several times by families of injured or deceased Snapchat users, who allegedly used the filter while driving to brag about their high speed, or to challenge each other to record faster speeds.

Joel Feldman, co-founder of the nonprofit group End Distracted Driving, said, “Lives will be saved. Accidents will be prevented, but the lawyer in me says, ‘Oh my God, why did this take so long?'” This group has been urging Spotify for years to remove the filter.

The reason is not clear

It’s not clear, according to NPR, why Snapchat is now removing the filter, after years of lobbying after accidents. A Snapchat spokesperson now says that the filter will be removed in the coming weeks. For some users, the filter has already disappeared.

The filter has already been adapted in recent years. Added “Do not snap and drive” warning: Don’t get off while driving. In May, the maximum speed that the filter can quietly measure has also been reduced.