Video nasty Gardai warn drivers who film crashes of €80 fine and penalty points risk

“Not only is this activity illegal but also increases the risk of another accident at the scene by drivers focusing their attention on incident proceedings instead of the road"

Gardai and fire crews

Neil Fetherstonhaugh

March 13 2021 02:49 PM

Gardai and fire crews in Tipperary have warned drivers of the dangers of filming crash scenes after an incident in Clonmel this week.

Tipperary Fire & Rescue said that as crews were dealing with the aftermath of a collision on Tuesday, they observed “a large number of drivers using their mobile phones to video or photograph he scene as they passed”.

“Not only is this activity illegal but also increases the risk of another accident at the scene by drivers focusing their attention on incident proceedings instead of the road,” the fire service posted on their Facebook page.

“We urge all drivers to drive responsibly and not to use their phones whilst driving, especially at the scene of an incident.”

Local Gardai shared the post, adding, “We echo the sentiments of our blue light colleagues in Tipperary Fire & Rescue who reported observing motorists filming while driving the scene of a collision in the county yesterday”.

“These actions put emergency personnel at the scene and other road users at risk due to lack of concentration. three penalty points and €80 fine is not worth the likes and shares on social media,” they added.