UAE: Recording or sharing clips of an accident can land you in jail

Abu Dhabi: Filming and photographing accidents, or sharing accident-related clips and images on social media, are crimes that could result in imprisonment and fines for offenders, Abu Dhabi authorities have warned.

In fact, a Dh1,000 fine can immediately be slapped on ‘rubberneckers’, people or vehicles gathering at accident sites to have a look.

The reminder follows an incident of crowding that took place when a fire broke out in a residential building in Al Zaafaranah area in the capital. A clip shared by Abu Dhabi Police shows officials working to urgently disperse bystanders.

Putting others at risk

The Abu Dhabi Police and Abu Dhabi Civil Defence have urged residents to refrain from crowding at accident sites and near fires, explaining that such behaviour impedes emergency response for the injured and affected. People in the vicinity must make way for ambulances, civil defence vehicles and the police so that victims can be rescued and treated at the earliest.

Abu Dhabi Police added that crowding at accidents sites also exposes bystanders themselves to risks, including injuries and run-over accidents.

The traffic fines are detailed in Abu Dhabi’s Ministerial Resolution No. 178 for 2017 on ‘Rules and Procedures of Traffic Control’, whereas the penalties for sharing accident site clips and imaged are listed in the test of Article 197 (bis 2) of the UAE Penal Code.