Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi police on Monday has announced the imposition of Dh 1,000 for crowding around accident sites in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), local media reported.
In a social media post, Abu Dhabi police warned that those who crowded around such scenes were committing an offence. Section 74 of the federal traffic and traffic act states ‘blocking traffic (gathering) during accidents’ could incur a fine of Dh 1,000.
Abu Dhabi have shared a video showing motorists quickly gathering around two cars involved in a collision, randomly parking their vehicles and blocking traffic.
The video also showed passersby taking out their phones to take photos of the crash – another offense that would invite legal action.
The penalty for recording accident scenes is stricter. According to the interior ministry, penalties for accidents and posting of photos and clips on social media are punishable by a fine of 150,000 dirhams.
“The circulation of these images is unacceptable as it can cause a psychological shock to the families of victims when they view such images,” Khaleej Times quoted the interior ministry in a report.
Gathering at accidents is one of the unacceptable negative behaviors that impedes the arrival of ambulances, emergency vehicles, traffic patrols and civil defense as quickly as possible, to carry out their duty to provide humanitarian assistance to the injured and save their lives.
In case of an accident in Dubai, one can notify the authorities on 999. Also avoid hitting the area or parking in inappropriate places.