The UAE's police have issued a warning to residents not to pull over to take photographs and then share them on social media.
The police in the United Arab Emirates have issued a warning about the perils of swarming at accident scenes in the country.
According to the Abu Dhabi Police and the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, crowds at the sites of traffic accidents and fires can impede the ability of rescue personnel to save lives.
People who obstruct traffic at the scene of an accident will be subject to fines of up to AED1,000 ($272), according to the officials in charge of the police department.
Fines for driving in the UAE
Crowds that gather at accident scenes and fires pose a number of risks, according to a statement issued by the Abu Dhabi Police Department and shared on various social media platforms. These risks include impeding the ability of ambulances, emergency vehicles, and traffic police to arrive at the scene in a timely manner.
This can make it impossible for humanitarian organisations to provide aid and even impede authorities from saving lives.
It is possible for there to be more collisions as a result of vehicles stopping or slowing down to observe a traffic scene or even pedestrians arriving to look at accident sites. The notification that was sent out by the Abu Dhabi Police stated that motorists and pedestrians who saw traffic incidents could cause additional collisions.
Accident scene crowding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carries a fine of AED1,000 ($272), and authorities have urged residents not to take photographs there.
The letter that was sent out by the Abu Dhabi Police stated that "crowding curious people at traffic accident sites, photographing vehicles involved in accidents and injured people, and posting photos on social media is unacceptable behaviour that brings their owners to legal accountability."
