When we share crash photos some members often question the motive behind sharing these photos! Is it to create sensation or some ulterior motive? This is also a matter often discussed on blogs around the topic whether road safety advertising campaigns should use horrific images or not and whether such images would have any long term benefit for safer roads..
We have shared some insights on this in a page on the Arrive Alive website titled “Professionalism and Ethics in Reporting from the scene of a road crash”
We must commend our emergency services for considering these matters before publishing any photos. The public however tend to share images from horror crash scenes much more easily and with much less thought! There are however exceptions to this. The Arrive Alive website recently received photos from a family who lost a teenager in a motorbike crash at the corner of Dr. Swanepoel and Derdeweg in Tshwane . They shared images from the crash scene with a rather clear attention:
– To have this used to make a specific stretch of road safer!
– As evidence as to the danger of a specific intersection.
– To contribute towards a drive to create a traffic circle at the dangerous intersection.
– To ensure that this will make the road safer and create awareness that might save others from road death!
The crash was widely reported in the media
Montana Scholar Bike Crash reported in Beeld
The photos we usually find in the media will depict the scene of the crash and the damaged vehicles
What you will not find in the reports from emergency services is a lot of blood or any descriptive phrases as to the bodily injuries. We share these at the request of the family.
We will share all the info received with the Road and Traffic Authorities and will support the drive to make the specific intersection safer.
We would also like to use this to share important road safety information: