Are Viral Crash Videos Killing Our Empathy?

Every few days, a video circulates: a motorcyclist flung into the air, a pedestrian hit and left lying on the road, a car flipped upside down after speeding in the rain. Sometimes the footage is grainy, other times eerily clear. But what’s more disturbing than the accident itself is our reaction—or lack of it.
Are Viral Crash Videos Killing Our Empathy?
Are Viral Crash Videos Killing Our Empathy?The Bridge Chronicle
Published on

We scroll past, barely blinking. We double-tap. We comment with a brief “so sad” and move on to the next reel. The question isn’t just why these accidents are happening—it’s why we’ve grown so used to watching them.

Join TBC's WhatsApp Channel to Stay Updated!

India records one of the highest numbers of road fatalities globally. According to NCRB data, over 1.5 lakh people die annually on Indian roads. That’s over 400 people a day. But instead of shock, the volume of such news has led to what psychologists call trauma saturation—when repeated exposure to tragedy dulls the emotional response.

We’re not ignoring suffering intentionally. We’re absorbing so much of it that we’ve become numb.

The rise of dashcam, CCTV, and bystander-shot footage means accidents are now widely available to watch. On social media, these clips rack up millions of views. Sometimes they’re shared as cautionary tales. But increasingly, they are consumed for their shock value—stripped of context, humanity, or resolution.

The victims become thumbnails. The incident becomes “content.” And as we scroll through yet another hit-and-run, it becomes harder to feel.

What This Is Doing to Us

1. Compassion Fatigue

When tragedy becomes constant, it becomes background noise. The result? A decline in the very human instinct to help. People stop calling for ambulances. Bystanders hesitate. Empathy gives way to apathy.

2. Dehumanisation

We stop seeing the person on the screen as someone’s parent, sibling, or child. They become a nameless casualty in a sea of tragedies.

3. Reduced Accountability

The more normalised accidents become, the more numb we become to injustice. The outrage needed to drive legal change, better infrastructure, or safer enforcement often fades before it can take root.

Road accidents are no longer rare or remote. But they are still deeply tragic. The danger isn’t just on the streets—it’s in our hearts becoming indifferent.

Join TBC's WhatsApp Channel to Stay Updated!

Help Us Create the Content You Love

Take Survey Now!

Enjoyed reading The Bridge Chronicle?
Your support motivates us to do better. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Whatsapp to stay updated with the latest stories.
You can also read on the go with our Android and iOS mobile app.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
The Bridge Chronicle
www.thebridgechronicle.com