UK tells social media platforms to remove dangerous driving videos after fatal Middlesbrough crash

The UK government has told social media companies to immediately remove videos showing people driving the wrong way down roads, following a fatal crash over the weekend. Early on Saturday, a car travelling the wrong way down the A66 dual carriageway near Middlesbrough collided with a police vehicle, killing seven people, including two officers.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, who had been driving correctly, died in the collision and have been hailed as heroes by their families. Five young people aged between 17 and 23 also died when their Volkswagen Passat, believed to be fitted with cloned number plates, crashed into the police vehicle.

Reports have emerged that one of the young men who died had previously filmed dangerous driving videos for TikTok, though police have not confirmed this. Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey urged the public to avoid speculation but acknowledged that filming while driving is dangerous and reckless.

Defence minister Luke Pollard said the government had contacted platforms hosting content celebrating dangerous driving, demanding its removal. He warned that if firms fail to act, the government will use powers under the Online Safety Act to compel them. Pollard said platforms that have long argued they can regulate themselves now have a chance to prove it, rather than allowing views and financial incentives to drive the creation of such content.

The issue gained prominence after a similar tragedy in Ireland, where five teenagers died in a head-on crash on a motorway in County Kildare after a car was driven the wrong way. Ireland's Garda commissioner, Justin Kelly, said vehicles had in some cases been driven on the wrong side of motorways to gain social media likes. TikTok declined to appear before an Irish parliamentary committee examining the videos, citing the ongoing police investigation.