自拍是指拍摄自己的照片传到社交媒体上，这个词于2013年成为牛津字典正式词汇。这种想法看似很简单，只是摆个姿势然后用手机摄像头给自己拍照，这能有多难？
But in 2014 a reported 15 people died while taking selfies. That number has risen each year since then. Thirty-nine deaths connected to selfies were reported in 2015. And, this year has seen more than 70 such deaths.
但是2014年报告有15人在自拍时死亡。自那时起这一数字每年都在增加。2015年报告了39起和自拍相关的死亡，而今年已经发生了70多起这类死亡。
Researchers from universities in the U.S. and India have released findings from the first study of deaths due to selfies. The investigators examined the causes and characteristics of the deaths.
美国和印度高校的研究人员发布了首份自拍死亡的报告。研究人员调查了死亡的原因和特征。
The researchers found that people who take selfies for sharing on social media often have narcissistic tendencies. The report says these people "use selfies as a form of self-identification and expression." They may take selfies in more dangerous settings because they seek greater attention.
研究人员发现，在社交媒体上发自拍的人往往有自恋倾向。报告称，这些人“将自拍作为一种自我认同和表达的方式”。他们可能会为了博取关注在更加危险的环境中自拍。
These dangerous situations can lead to injury, and even death. The researchers define a selfie death as "death of an individual or a group of people that could have been avoided had the individual(s) not been taking a selfie."
这类危险环境可能会导致伤害甚至死亡。研究人员将自拍死亡定义为“不自拍就能避免的个人或群体死亡”。
One example of a dangerous selfie in the study involved bicycle races. People sometimes get on the track to take a picture of themselves with the racing bicycles behind them. Crashes and injuries have resulted. Another example described people standing on train tracks trying to get a selfie as a train moves toward them from behind.
研究中提到的危险自拍包括自行车竞赛。人们有时候会在赛道上拍摄自己同身后自行车的照片，然后导致了碰撞和伤害。另一类例子是当火车临近时人们在轨道上自拍。
The most common cause of selfie death was falling from high places. It caused 32 of the 172 deaths during the last two and one-half years.
自拍死亡最常见的原因是从高处坠落，过去两年半中的172起死亡中有32起是这类原因导致的。
Drowning was another common cause of death.
溺水是另一类常见死因。
Other risk factors include transportation, such as taking a selfie while walking on train tracks or driving a car. Taking a selfie near electric lines also led to some of the deaths, as did selfies taken with weapons and wild animals.
其它风险因素还包括交通，例如在铁轨上行走或开车时自拍。在电线附近自拍，以及同武器和野生动物自拍也导致了一些死亡。
India reported 76 selfie deaths, the most of the countries studied.
印度报告了76起自拍死亡，是被研究的国家中最多的。
And it might be more dangerous to be a man with a smartphone. Although women take more selfies, males were far more likely to die during selfies. 75.5% of the reported deaths were of men.
而且男性有智能手机更加危险。虽然女性自拍更多，男性却更可能死于自拍。报告的死亡人数中有75.5%是男性。
About one-third of the 172 reported selfie deaths had a single death while 24 incidents involved the deaths of groups. Two of the incidents killed seven people each.
在报告的172起死亡中有三分之一是单一死亡，还有24起事故涉及群体死亡。其中两起事故各自导致7人死亡。
Staying Safe While Taking Selfies
安全自拍
Efforts are growing to prevent these deaths. The study says there are now 16 places in Mumbai, India established as "No Selfie Zones."
防止自拍死亡的措施正在增加。该研究称，目前印度孟买有16个地区被设置成了“禁止自拍区”。
The Russian government also has started a "Safe Selfies" campaign to warn people about risky selfies.
俄罗斯政府也启动了“安全自拍”宣传活动，以提醒人们自拍风险。
The website Selfie to Die For asks visitors to take a promise not to risk their lives and the lives of others while taking selfies. The website also has tips for staying safe while taking selfies and gives examples of people who died from taking risky selfies.
Selfie to Die For网站要求游客承诺在自拍时不要让自己或他人的性命面临风险。该网站还发布了自拍安全提示，并提供了危险自拍死亡者的案例。
Their Twitter account @selfietodiefor offers tips for staying safe while taking selfies and reports incidents of selfie deaths and injuries.
他们的推特账户@selfietodiefor提供了安全自拍提示，并报告自拍死亡和受伤事故。
More Information
更多信息
The full report is available at: Me, Myself and My Killfie: Characterizing and Preventing Selfie Deaths.
完整报告请查看：Me, Myself and My Killfie: Characterizing and Preventing Selfie Deaths。
I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·罗素。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)