The Automobile Association’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Conor Faughnan says that “rubber necking” and the taking photographs and videos at the scene of accidents are becoming a major problem.
He was responding after footage of a fatal collision on the M50 in Dublin yesterday surfaced on social media, and Gardaí are now appealing to the public not to share these images.
Mr Faughnan told Newstalk Breakfast that such behaviour is a “bizarre facet of the modern world”.
He said that there seems to be an instinct to “slow down and take a look” (rubbernecking) when an accident occurs and frequently this leads to tailbacks.
He joined with the Gardaí to appeal to the public not to share such material.
The AA has had to block similar material and they have asked people not to send it to them.
That shouldn’t need to be said, but sadly this is a case of humans being humans.
When asked if such behaviour should be considered a criminal offence, Mr Faughnan said that at present Gardaí treat fatal accidents as a crime scene and anyone impeding the work of the Gardaí is committing an offence.
However, he acknowledged it would be difficult to prosecute what is a crime “against taste and decency. It would be difficult to legislate for that.
“It is the dark side of human nature.
"I don’t know if we can ever fix that through legislation.”
