Police say there is a growing problem with people using their cellphones while driving to record or photograph car crashes as they pass.
Radio host Chris Lynch was one of 26 people fined for recording a recent crash in Templeton, near Christchurch, on Monday, Fairfax Media reports.
The crash happened on Main South Rd when an elderly woman hit a power pole and flipped her car. She was taken to hospital in a critical condition and is now stable.
A video posted on the Rise Up Christchurch Facebook page today showed Mr Lynch outside a Newstalk ZB car, talking with a policeman.
Several more drivers filmed as they drove past, but police were unable to stop them.
"It's disappointing these people were happily looking through a viewfinder rather than driving, particularly in a crash scene where they should have been thinking of road safety," Sergeant Paul Piper told Fairfax.
"What was surprising is that none of them noticed three police officers standing there; they were so focused looking at the camera."
Acting Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Ash Tabb says the act violates the privacy of the crash victim and those helping her.
"A significant cause of crashes is people using mobile devices, so there's concerns for people on the road trying to extract the person from the vehicle and road control."
Drivers found using a handheld mobile phone while driving face an $80 fine and 20 demerit points, under the Land Transport Rule 2004.
Newshub.
