05/10/2026
โ๏ธPublishing Graphic Crash Footage: Exploiting Human Tragedy
Recently in Poland, a footage has been circulating online showing a car striking a pedestrian and throwing him into the
air. Viewers see a few seconds of video. Neither this nor any other graphic drastic crash footage showing victims
should circulate in the public space. And still it happens in many countries. Those who publish and share such material have no justification for doing so, even though they often hide behind a โhigher purpose.โ
For a victim and their family, a crash is not โcontent.โ It is the worst moment of their lives. Publishing it online means
that loved ones may come across it by chance on social media, between an advertisement, the sports news and the
weather forecast. Parents, children and spouses have no chance to prepare for this. No one can prepare for such a
sight. The footage then circulates for years, and removing it is practically impossible. The victim is thus harmed a
second time, and so are their closest relatives, this time by those who should inform, not sensationalise.
As the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims, we reject the argument that such footage โteachesโ and
improves safety. We have drawn attention to this for many years (some time ago we published a guide for the press
on this subject, which has been widely used in many countries).
Effective prevention refers to reliable information, education, thorough analysis of the causes of crashes,
implementation of the principles of the so-called Safe System approach, simultaneous systemic action in all areas of
road safety. Prevention often relies on awareness programmes based on the stories of people who have agreed to
share their experiences. We run, for example, restorative justice programmes and the Road Show type, peer-to-peer
projects aimed at young people aged 16+. But this always happens by mutual consent, without sensationalising death
and drama. Raw, graphic footage neither teaches nor explains anything. It provokes shock or curiosity, and often has
the opposite effect: it desensitises viewers and turns the crash into entertainment.
We are particularly concerned that some media outlets publish such material solely for clicks, views and reach. This
is not an act of concern for road safety. It is the exploitation of human tragedy for commercial purposes. It does
not have our consent.
We therefore appeal and ask: do not publish footage showing the moment of impact, or injured or killed people;
respect the dignity of victims and the privacy of their families; report on crashes reliably and with empathy, pointing
to causes and possible solutions; and ask yourselves whether publication serves safety, or only viewership statistics.
Media freedom also means responsibility. Any one of us may one day become the subject of such footage, or the
loved one of someone who does. We therefore ask you sincerely: let us show respect to those who have already
been through hell, and make sure that information about crashes serves to save lives, not to collect likes. Let us
respect one another. If we care about improving road safety, we will achieve nothing through stigmatisation, hasty
judgements, hate or the display of graphic scenes. Let us not give in to pressure or snap verdicts; let us focus on
systemic action, not ad hoc measures.
It is up to us whom we listen to, what we read, how we behave, who inspires us, and what we share. We have a choice. Let us always remember that behind every number, every statistic, stands a human being. That is all, and that is everything.
Katarzyna Dobrzaลska-Junco
Vice-President, European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR)
