Overview
please respond to Perla with 185 words
Something I didn't know was a penal code, or it had any punishment at all was PEN § 402, which is when someone arrives at the scene of an emergency and stops to watch or disrupt it. It counts for a misdemeanor which is something I was unaware of, although when someone is taking the written driving tests, it asks you if this is permissible or not, and the answer is that it isn't. I still believe someone should still be held accountable even if they were unaware of this law, or had forgotten it existed, because while they're at the scene, they should have some sort of self awareness and recognize that they're disrupting the scene.
I think this relates to either ignorance or mistake of law, since I have been witness to other people slowing down their cars to see what accident or emergency is occurring. So this could negate mens rea since it can give the wrong impression to other drivers that this sort of thing is allowed.
I think that when it comes to emergencies, life or death, or when people are in harm, ignorance can be a very hard defense. Especially when the person is not only putting themselves in harms way just because of their curiosity, but they're also potentially putting someone else in danger by being an obstacle to actual emergency responders. The severity of the crime does matter in sensitive situations like this, since even though someone is idling by the scene of an emergency, I imagine they wouldn't like the same done to them if they are the one in harm.