Dangerous driving videos could be removed from social media today, says minister

Social media platforms have been urged to remove images and videos that glorify dangerous driving. The call follows a head-on collision in which two police officers were killed after colliding with another vehicle that was driving on the wrong side of the A66 dual carriageway near Middlesbrough, Teesside, in order to evade pursuing law enforcement.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, defence minister, Luke Pollard, said: “There’s lots of content online on social media platforms of people celebrating dangerous driving, celebrating driving inappropriately on our roads, down the wrong side of the roads, behaving incredibly badly. Social media companies could take [that] down today.”

Pollard also highlighted how many firms have “argued for many years they don’t need to be regulated, that they can police themselves”. He continued: “So this is a challenge for them: remove that content.”

At the time of writing, Cleveland Police said: “There is no evidence to indicate that filming of the activities that took place on Friday night and Saturday morning has taken place for the purposes of TikTok.”

However, a social media account that appears to have belonged to one of the five passengers of the pursued vehicle, previously published videos showing acts of dangerous driving. These have since been deleted. 

While the crash on the A66 has resulted in a number of arrests linked to organised crime, Pollard says that many instances of dangerous driving such as this occur in the pursuit of social media clout. “There is a financial incentive for people to post outrageous content that gets more people watching it,” he explained.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham added: “Anybody who glorifies dangerous driving is doing something that’s truly reprehensible.”

In the meantime, the Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation into the fatal collision, while it’s understood that No 10 is in contact with TikTok and other social media companies regarding videos of dangerous driving. The 2023 Online Safety Act was designed to limit young people’s interaction with content such as this, with TikTok also currently under investigation by media regulator Ofcom for non-compliance.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must minimise children’s exposure to violent material and content promoting dangerous challenges. In July, we launched an investigation into TikTok’s compliance with its child safety duties, and we’ve shown we’ll take action if evidence suggests companies are falling short.”

TikTok says that in the first three months of 2026, 98 per cent of content removed for promoting dangerous behaviour was done proactively by the firm’s moderation team. It also says that its guidelines specifically prohibit anything that could cause physical harm – including dangerous driving.

It’s not solely TikTok on which such videos are appearing; within minutes of logging into several social media platforms, Auto Express quickly found videos showcasing dangerous and anti-social driving – many with thousands of likes and views. This is perhaps no surprise given a survey by IAM RoadSmart found that one in seven drivers aged under 24 have filmed themselves while driving in the past year, with many of these videos finding their way onto social media sites.

“The distraction caused by smartphone usage and driving is well documented, but it is horrifying that some people are now actively filming and flaunting such dangerous behaviours online,” said IAM RoadSmart’s director of policy, Nicholas Lyes.

“Social media companies have a duty to ensure that dangerous criminal activities are not circulated for likes and shares. It cannot be difficult for these organisations to quickly identify dangerous driving or riding and have the videos removed quickly.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council declined Auto Express’ request for comment at this time.

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