18 November 2008

Rubberneck? Or help?

| johnboy
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[First filed: November 17, 2008 @ 18:13]

This little snippet has gone up on YouTube, published by “mjguitarhero”. It comes with the following info:

    saw this when me nd ma boss were delivering furniture…adelaide avenue overpass in canberra

Understandable to drive by and video? Or otherwise?

Driving by accident scenes...

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I saw this accident, it was ages ago near my work. No, i didn’t see it happen, no, i didn’t stop to help, but yes, i did slow down for a perve (though i didn’t have much choice, as the person in front of me slowed down, and the person in front of him, and so on). I saw it much later, though – there were already emergency services on the scene.

The car was upside down, i would have helped.

pug206gti said :

Just don’t sodding slow down and hold up the traffic while you do whatever it is you’re doing! (But do slow down if it’s there’s hazards/danger to other road users of course)

I’d suggest that you should slow down at all accident scenes, it’s not just the vehicle debris you need to look out for, it’s for people who get out of their car and wander around like headless chickens in the road after being in the accident. Most don’t need to be passed at 20kph though..

I hope any of you that have a problem with posting this on youtube also have a problem with any footage that the Tv stations show of car accidents. Because while the video quality is worse, the editorial comments are more valid then you normally get on Ten…

Just don’t sodding slow down and hold up the traffic while you do whatever it is you’re doing! (But do slow down if it’s there’s hazards/danger to other road users of course)

Stop and help if help is needed. If not, keep going and stay out of the way.

Pretty simple really.

I agree Thumper. Just because there may be 10 other people who have stopped it doesn’t mean they don’t need someone with first aid skill, to provide added muscle to help get someone out of the car (noting it needs to be safe to do so) or even to warn oncoming traffic of the accident. You can determine if you’re needed pretty quickly by stopping and asking a few questions.

I’ve got to agree with old canberran: while I have an immediate aversion to rubbernecking, my pragmatic side says, ‘roll camera’! I have a real aversion to the idea that turning our back is respectful. You hear about these lonely souls who die in apartment blocks and are not found until the stench reaches the neighbours six months later… better to be rubbernecking.

old canberran1:05 am 18 Nov 08

I made the front page of the Times back in 1981 thanks to a CT photographer who took numerous photos. These proved very handy in court as to just who was in the wrong. I also kept copies all these years as a reminder of the event which nearly took my life.
So taking photos of a car accident is not as ghoulish as it first seems. Not sure about putting them on YouTube though.

On the bi-weekly rear-ender on the parkway, my partner or I always make a point of glaring at the asstard that’s managed to run up the back of the person in front, it’s our little way of thanking them for making us late to work.

LOL.

Asstard? Classic.

I would film it.
Then post it on a video sharing website in the hope that it would end up on RiotACT.

Once on Riotact – I cease becoming a voyeur – I am a journalist.

Tomorrow I may make the back page of the Canberra Times, and then the ultimate – WIN TIPs on Win News.

Remember – When WINd breaks – WIN news

why does it need to be filmed and posted on youtube… Sound like yokels to me…

Adza said :

Be pointless to stop and help… there’s already a number of people helping and what more could you do? I would always stop and help myself, but when there’s already 10 other people there, there’s no added value I can give as I’m not a doctor or anything.

Exactly right, no point just getting in the way unless you actually witnessed the accident. Though people will get in the way rubbernecking anyway.

In this case there are plenty of people already helping. If there weren’t then stopping and offering to help would be what I would do.

Plenty of people there already. No harm in videoing so long as he’s out of the way and not actually driving.

(when did that happen? I’d think it quite a challenge to flip a car in that manner on State Circle…)

I don’t understand the “Show some respect and pretend you’re not looking” bit!

On the bi-weekly rear-ender on the parkway, my partner or I always make a point of glaring at the asstard that’s managed to run up the back of the person in front, it’s our little way of thanking them for making us late to work.

Watching that made me feel a bit strange.

But then I watched mjguitarhero’s other vids and was impressed. He set off some sweet sparkler bombs and then wailed out a heavy metal guitar solo!

Be pointless to stop and help… there’s already a number of people helping and what more could you do? I would always stop and help myself, but when there’s already 10 other people there, there’s no added value I can give as I’m not a doctor or anything.

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