A councillor has told how his wife discovered he had been in a car crash after footage of the collision was posted on Facebook — before he even had the chance to call her.
Mid-Ulster SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn has revealed how someone once videoed the aftermath of a car collision he was involved in, and proceeded to post the footage so soon after it happened, that his wife came across it before he had a chance to inform her of the incident.
The Torrent DEA representative recalled the anecdote at last Thursday’s (October 23) monthly meeting of Mid Ulster District Council, as he felt it vividly illustrated the need to introduce legal restrictions on the sharing on social media of images and videos taken at the scene of serious traffic collisions.
Councillor Quinn recalled: “It was about three years ago. I was coming to a council meeting in this chamber, and the traffic had come to a stop on the Dungannon/Coalisland Road.
“And the next thing somebody came straight into the back of me. They were either on the phone or they weren’t paying attention, but after getting out of the car looking at the damage, I got a phone call maybe five minutes later from my wife, to say ‘Have you been involved in an accident?’.
“I looked around and [thought] ‘How did she know I was involved in an accident?’
“And she said ‘I’ve just seen on a certain somebody’s Facebook account that there’s an accident, and there’s the picture of the car and everything’. There was no picture of me, thankfully, at that stage.
“Now, there was no damage or fatalities, but it just shows you how quickly this can spread around, and how fast people can see it.”
The SDLP representative made his remarks following a notice of motion he had tabled, calling for legal restrictions on the sharing on social media of distressing footage showing seriously-injured or deceased road users.
The notice of motion enjoyed unanimous support.
In the course of the debate on the notice of motion, the Road Victim Support Northern Ireland-Donegal group was mentioned, as they are spearheading a campaign called “It’s Not Your Story To Tell”.
The campaign is urging people to stop and think before they share images or details of car crashes online, and Councillor Quinn said he had liaised with the group ahead of tabling his notice of motion.
Referring to the group of campaigners, Councillor Quinn added: “I know they’re coming to the Council to give a presentation in a couple of months.
“I’m looking forward to that, where we can get more information on a variety of campaigns that they run.”
Councillor Quinn’s notice of motion was worded as follows: “That this Council expresses its deepest sympathy to the families affected by the unauthorised recording, sharing, and circulation of images and videos taken at the scenes of fatal or critical road-traffic collisions.
“Condemns the increasing trend of individuals and media outlets capturing and distributing distressing footage of victims without consent, often before families have been formally notified.
“Recognises the serious psychological harm and trauma this causes to bereaved families, and the urgent need for legislative protection.
“Reaffirms that the right of families to privacy and dignity must always outweigh the voyeuristic or commercial interests of individuals or media outlets.
“Backs the campaign for Caoimhé’s Law — a proposed piece of legislation that would make it a criminal offence to record or share images/videos of victims at the scene of a fatal or critical road-traffic collision without lawful authority or family consent; circulate such material before families are officially notified; use such content for sensationalist, exploitative, or commercial purposes; publish crash-scene images without prior approval from the PSNI or relevant authorities; obstruct emergency services or interfere with rescue operations through the recording or sharing of such material.
“Acknowledges the testimony of families, including those from this district, who have been directly impacted by the unauthorised sharing of videos and images of their loved ones in the immediate aftermath of fatal road incidents.
“Notes that similar legislation exists or is being introduced in other jurisdictions, including the Republic of Ireland, England and Wales, recognising the same growing problem of ‘digital voyeurism’ at accident scenes.
“Calls on the Northern Ireland Executive and the Department of Justice to prioritise the drafting and introduction of this legislation as a matter of urgency.”
