UK Minister Urges Platforms to Remove Dangerous Driving Videos After 7 Die in A66 Crash
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24
UK Minister Urges Platforms to Remove Dangerous Driving Videos After 7 Die in A66 Crash
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24
Summary
Seven people died near Middlesbrough on Saturday after a Volkswagen Passat drove the wrong way on the A66 and hit a marked armed response car, killing PCs Tom Clough, 38, and Matthew Blades, 37.
Luke Pollard said social media companies should remove posts celebrating dangerous driving and change algorithms that reward them, arguing views and monetisation create incentives for reckless content.
TikTok said dangerous-driving content breaches its rules and that 99.8% of removals under its physical-harm policy in January-March 2026 were proactive; videos linked to 18-year-old passenger Malakai Saddington have since been deleted.
The government said it can use Online Safety Act powers to force takedowns, while Ofcom noted platforms must limit children's exposure to dangerous challenges and is already investigating TikTok's child-safety compliance.
The push comes amid wider concern over wrong-way driving filmed for social media, including an Ireland crash earlier this month that killed five teenagers and seriously injured four others.