Waterford City Council calls for complete ban on online publication of accident images – News

A Labour councillor in Waterford has called for a complete ban on what he described as the “grotesque” practice of sharing footage and images of road accidents on the internet.

Councillor John Pratt, who was re-elected to Waterford City and County Council in last weekend’s local elections, spoke to the Waterford News & Star about the issue, saying it was time to put an end to “the grotesque practice” of recording and sharing road accident scenes.

The Labour Party’s Protection of Accident Victims from Non-Consensual Recording of Images Bill 2022 was drafted in response to the disturbing and extremely worrying phenomenon of images of road accident victims being shared online.

The Bill is due to be debated in the Dáil this week, on Thursday 13 June.

On the subject, Councillor Pratt said: “2024 has been a dark year on our roads. Too many lives have been lost and I would urge all road users to take extra care on the roads, reduce their speed, avoid distractions such as using the phone and never, ever drive under the influence of alcohol.”

Referring to statistics, he said the “harsh reality” is that every year there are between 150 and 200 road deaths and about 8,000 injuries due to road accidents.

“There is hardly a person in this country who has not had the direct or indirect experience of a serious car accident resulting in death or serious injury in their family, circle of friends or community,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Waterford is no different,” he added.

Regarding the practice of people sharing images online, Councillor Pratt said it was becoming increasingly “all too common”.

“The fact that family members and friends are exposed to such hurtful and grotesque images before they even know about the accident is unforgivable,” he said.

“It is a deeply disrespectful and disturbing intrusion into private grief that must be banned,” he added.

“It is becoming increasingly common for An Garda Síochána to issue urgent requests not to share such images immediately after a serious accident. This must stop.”

Ahead of tomorrow’s Dáil debate, Councillor Pratt said: “This Thursday, the Labour Party will be calling on the Government to introduce penalties for anyone sharing these images. It is time to put an end to this indecent and callous practice to protect all those left on the streets after the devastation of a death.”