Penalties and consequences for Gaffer: That threatens the guilty
The gap at accidents has increased dramatically in recent years, so the punishment for gaffer has increased significantly. We'll show you what fines you can expect.
Gawking in an accident: these are the punishments
Every year there are numerous traffic accidents in Germany. In 2015, almost 400, 000 people were injured in road traffic, of which around 3, 500 died on the spot or as a result.
- Gawking is disrespectful to the victims of the accident, but it is entirely legal. Both watching and filming at an accident site is not prohibited if you comply with the legal requirements.
- Basically, you can film everything, except for the crashed cars and the accident victims. The injured persons must explicitly agree to the admission. If the victim is injured, passed out or in shock, you must assume that there is no consent.
- If you film the victims nonetheless, particularly severe cases can result in a fine of 1, 000 euros or a prison sentence of 2 years. According to the law, gawking is punishable if you "flaunt another person's helplessness".
- If you hinder rescue workers from driving on the verge on the motorway, you will have to pay a fine of 20 euros. If you park on the hard shoulder, this costs 25 euros.
Filming at the scene of the accident: It will be expensive
Gawks have increased, especially in the case of accidents on the motorway. More and more drivers pull out their cell phones and film the accident as they drive by.
- In the meantime, the police are filming some traffic accidents. Those who are picked up while driving with their cell phones while driving past will later receive a fine of 100 euros by post and a point in Flensburg.
- The most important thing here is the mobile phone at the wheel. Anyone filming the scene of the accident as a passenger is fundamentally off the hook. The police would first have to prove to the passenger that the video recordings actually show a victim.
In the next practical tip, we will show you what to do in a car accident.