Causeway Coast & Glens Council supports Caoimhe's Law banning photos and videos at road crash scenes
Causeway Coast and Glens has joined two neighbouring councils to support of laws against unsolicited recording of severe traffic collisions.
At December’s Council meeting, members were presented with correspondence from Mid Ulster District Council condemning the “increasing trend of individuals and media outlets capturing and distributing distressing footage of victims without consent, often before families have been formally notified”.
Members also received a second, independent correspondence from Derry City and Strabane District Council expressing their “deepest sympathy to the families affected by the unauthorised recording, searching, and circulation of images and videos taken at the scenes of fatal or critical road traffic collisions”.
Both letters also requested that Causeway Coast & Glens councillors support the campaign for Caoimhe’s Law – a proposed piece of legislation that would make it a criminal offence to record or share images or videos of victims at the scene of a fatal or critical road traffic collision without lawful authority or family consent.
Sinn Féin councillor Leanne Peacock successfully proposed that Council add their support for Caoimhé’s Law, as unsolicited recording has “impacted people within our own council area”.
“It’s something that’s very traumatising for families,” she added. “ So I would propose that we do support the councils in their support for the campaign, and also express our deepest sympathy to all of those families that have been affected.
“It’s a very important issue that has become more prevalent as we have more access to phones, cameras, and social media, so it’s important that we as a Council fall in behind this campaign as well.”