They were called traffic accidents once upon a time and then that changed to crashes. Now it seems that they are referred to as Road Traffic Collisions. Well, whatever you chose to call them, accidents, crashes or collisions, they happen regularly on our roads.
They come in all shapes and sizes and vary from fender benders to the more serious, involving death and serious injury.
The one thing that they all have in common though, is that they attract curious glances from people passing by. Whether it’s the sight of blood and guts or broken cars, the fact is that there are some who get a thrill from watching the scene of a crash.
It’s not unusual to see people slowing down at an accident and straining their necks to see what’s going on. It’s called ‘Rubber necking’. Other drivers will often take it a step further by parking their cars nearby and walking back to the scene to get a better look.
Gardai in Waterford took to Twitter to advise motorists that five drivers had been fined for using their mobile phones to film or photograph a traffic accident while they were driving their own cars. Their behaviour was described as dangerous and inappropriate, and rightly so. Why anyone would feel it necessary to photograph a crash site in the first place is beyond me.
Many years ago, I was at the scene of a serious accident in Cork. There was one car involved and it went straight into a wall after failing to take the corner. The steering wheel had become embedded in the driver’s stomach. He was leaning over the steering wheel, alive but unconscious.
The plan was to cut the steering column from the car and leave it attached to the driver for doctors to remove at the hospital. A fireman asked me to hold the drivers head up off the steering wheel while he cut it off. (The steering wheel, not the head).
As you can imagine, we were operating in a confined space and it was difficult work.
I suddenly became aware of movement next to me and I saw an individual trying to squeeze his head into the car. This guy had no business whatsoever being there, and he was getting in the way. I recognised him, and I knew he was not a member of the emergency services. He actually worked in a fast food outlet.
He parked his car across the road and came back for a gawk. Not only was he trying to see what was going on, but he was being a complete nuisance.
He was advised in plain English to remove himself from the car and he was lucky that one of the firemen didn’t land him in the ambulance. He seemed to be a little confused as to why people were getting annoyed with him and he obviously believed it was perfectly normal behaviour to be crawling over firemen.
The term rubbernecking is used to describe the actions of drivers who are trying to watch something happening at the side of the road instead of concentrating on driving. That has the potential to cause delays for other drivers and can also lead to further accidents.
Reacting to the scene of a crash is natural because people will be curious about the commotion. But when the cause is identified as a serious accident then the aim should be to get out of the way as quickly as possible and allow the professionals to do what needs to be done. Slowing down for a nose doesn’t help and getting in the way is definitely not recommended.
For most people, the prospect of seeing victims at the side of the road with severe injuries is a turn off. It’s enough to cause most of us to divert our gaze and to keep going. But that’s not the case for everyone.
But morbid curiosity is nothing new. There was a time when crowds were attracted to public hangings and there was only one reason they went. They wanted to see other humans coming to a sticky end.
Penal executions in early modern Europe were civic events and were considered to be a form of entertainment. Executions were organized by town officials and conducted in full view of the expectant public. The prisoners were paraded from the prison to the execution site and to the waiting spectators.
Public punishments such as whippings and executions, were always very popular and were normally well attended events. In the days before newspapers, they also served a practical purpose. By allowing the natives to see justice done, officials hoped to encourage others to think twice about committing crime.
In some cases, judges ordered the executions to be carried out at the scene of the crime. An early crime prevention technique if you like. These days we get crime prevention advice from An Garda Siochana and it’s a bit more civilised.
Back in the 18th century, executions were very much a spectator sport for all classes of society, the wealthy as well as the poor. Seats were arranged like grandstands at a football stadium and were very expensive. Two shillings (10p) was a lot of money in the 1700’s. These events attracted huge numbers of onlookers and the better off would rent rooms in houses opposite the gallows to get the best view.
In ancient Rome, large crowds gathered to watch Gladiators fight each other to the death. It was survival of the fittest. An underdog might be spared by the crowd to fight again but if a favourite lost, his fans could easily turn on him and call for his blood or maybe even his head.
So, it seems the thirst for blood and guts goes back a long way.