Rubbernecking

Rubbernecking is a derogatory term primarily used to refer to bystanders stopping previous activity to stare at accidents.

[6] The term is often used to refer to the activity of motorists slowing down in order to see something on the other side of a road or highway, often the scene of a traffic accident.

A study on the English M6 motorway found that 29% of accidents and breakdowns caused slowdowns in the uninvolved opposite lanes.

[8] Rubbernecking appears in the book 100 Most Dangerous Things in Everyday Life and What You Can Do About Them, which advises that the safest course when there are flashing lights and an accident is to keep moving, as "there is nothing to see here".

[10][11] The plastic partitions are designed to shield accidents from passing motorists in order to deter rubbernecking and improve the flow of traffic.

During fire fighting , onlookers must be kept at a safe distance for health reasons, especially to avoid poisonous gases.
Čumil, the rubbernecker of Bratislava
Rubberneckers are often found at road accidents ; seen above is an accident from 1918.