I grew up in a small town where everybody knew everybody. Which, of course, meant that people were always sticking their noses where they didn’t belong, which is including, but certainly not limited to, taking pictures of car accidents.
I see around five pictures of car accidents every day on my newsfeed. People posting, “I saw this on my way home from work,” “Please pray for this person and their family,” “blah blah blah.” NEWS FLASH: It’s none of your business.
Rubberneckers slowing down to take pictures of accidents are a growing concern for first responders, who are only trying to take care of the situation in front of them. These motorists are distracting them and worsening the situation.
It seems the public can’t quite understand the protocol of dealing with such a serious, possibly deadly, scene. The distraction slows the first responders down, and more often than not, causes even more accidents.
Motorists who attempt to take pictures of accidents actually put everyone at risk for a secondary collision. Emergency personnel need drivers to focus on their driving and pass the collision in a safe manner.
Not only are these motorists ignoring the safety of themselves, their passengers, and all the other drivers around them, they are also showing complete disregard for the victims and their family.
Can you imagine what you would do if you got on Facebook during your lunch break and saw a picture of your loved one’s mangled vehicle? Well, I know several people who can.
Sometimes, social media moves faster than the police. By uploading the unsolicited pictures to social media, families can find out about tragic accidents hours before the persons involved can be identified and the families can be properly contacted.
It is not your place to share those pictures. It is not your place to make the crash scene public. It is not your place to break the news to that family. Not to mention, it’s ILLEGAL.
Not only is using your cellphone while you’re operating a moving vehicle illegal, but it’s also an invasion of privacy to publicize pictures of first response personnel and accident victims without proper consent.
The one or two seconds that it takes to snap and upload a picture to social media isn’t benefiting anybody. No matter what good intentions you may have, it’s an invasion of privacy, it’s dangerous, and it’s completely disrespectful.
Put your phone down. Say a prayer to yourself. Thank God that is wasn’t you. And mind your own business.