A PLAN by Sligo councillors to petition the Minister of Justice to ban crash scene images could garner support in Donegal.
Minister Jim O’Callaghan is being asked to introduce legislation that protects the privacy fatal road traffic victims.
Campaigners want to make it an offence to record or share photos or videos from collisions to prevent “unnecessary distress to victims or their families”.
They want a Government-led national public awareness campaign so the public stop recording and sharing graphic content on social media.
Cllr Gino O’Boyle supported the motion at Sligo County Council and told the Donegal News that support from local councillors would be welcome.
Donegal Cllr Paul Canning, who is a former chairperson of the road safety group A5 N2 Committee, claimed that “social media needs a complete overhaul”.
Donegal County Cllr Paul Canning. Photo: Clive Wasson.
Cllr O’Boyle said: “I’d like it if Donegal councillors did support the Sligo motion. It would be good if they did that.
“Rather than people ringing the gardai or an ambulance, some people are filming the crash scene. A change of priority needs to happen.
“People need to think twice and imagine themselves in the other person’s shoes. Unfortunately, road traffic accidents are happening more.
“The last thing anyone wants to see is someone recording a crash.”
There have been 133 road deaths in Ireland this year, with nine per cent of those occurring in Donegal, where 11 victims have tragically died, which is already one more than the county’s tally for all of last year.
The Road Safety Authority has identified Donegal as experiencing a disproportionately high number of casualties this year, with gardai warning that rural areas remain a high-risk.
Some 11 have lost their lives so far in 2026, while 10 died in 2025; 17 in 2024; 10 in 2023; eight in 2022; seven in 2021; 10 in 2020; eight in 2019; and 10 in 2018.
Inishowen Cllr Canning, who was Donegal County Council cathaoirleach last year, said: “I wouldn’t be sharing anything on social media. That needs a complete overhaul.
“There seem to be people now who post stuff to try to get as many likes as they can.
“I don’t think people should be putting up stuff about accidents or sharing content like that. There is a lot for the [justice] minister to look at.”
A similar campaign was launched in the North a decade ago when Caoimhe O’Brien, from Douglas Bridge, near Newtownstewart, in Tyrone, tragically died when her car crashed on the A5.
Her mother Marie wants Caoimhe’s Law to make it an offence to film or distribute images or footage at the scene of road traffic collisions without lawful authority or consent.
Marie O’Brien, whose daughter’s name was posted on Facebook after her tragic road death in 2016, has campaigned for stricter social media controls.
Caoimhe’s mum Marie said: “A police liaison officer phoned me and asked if we were happy for Caoimhe’s name to be released. I said it was already on Facebook.”
She added that her daughter’s death was “the family’s story to tell”.