Defence Minister Luke Pollard has demanded that social media giants move fast to remove posts celebrating dangerous driving after a deadly crash killed seven people, including two police officers. Pollard said platforms could "take that down today" and change their algorithms so reckless behaviour is no longer celebrated or rewarded with views. His intervention came after a viral trend involving people driving the wrong way down roads and footage linked to one of the five people killed in Saturday's crash near Middlesbrough. Two police officers, PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat collided with their marked armed response vehicle on the A66. The officers had been pursuing the Passat until seconds before the devastating collision. All five people travelling in the Passat were also killed. They were named as 18-year-old Makai Saddington, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17. A TikTok account believed to belong to Saddington had shared videos appearing to show dangerous driving. Those videos and the account have since been removed. BBC Verify analysed a 94-second video posted by the account in March 2025. It appeared to show a car being driven along footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, while Saddington was in the rear seat. Another video from the same account appeared to show a joyride involving a passenger smoking, with the speedometer reaching 100mph. Later in that footage, a different car was shown being set on fire, although the passengers could not be identified. Pollard said social media companies know what content appears on their platforms and understand how their algorithms operate. He argued that the financial rewards associated with attracting views can create an incentive for people to post increasingly outrageous material. "They also know that people post content to get views and the more views you get, sometimes you get money for it," he said. Pollard said the Government had already taken steps to tell platforms to remove dangerous-driving content. TikTok said its rules prohibit material capable of causing significant physical harm, including dangerous driving. The company said it actively removes videos and accounts that break its policies, including the account believed to belong to Saddington. Between January and March 2026, TikTok said it proactively removed 99.8 per cent of content taken down for violating those policies. The BBC has also contacted Meta and X for comment. Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey warned that filming dangerous driving was "absolutely ridiculous". He said drivers should be completely focused on the road and described the possibility of such behaviour becoming more prevalent as "incredibly dangerous". The tragedy has also raised concerns beyond Britain. Earlier this month, five teenagers died in County Kildare, Ireland, after reportedly driving the wrong way down a motorway and colliding with another vehicle. The other car was believed to have been carrying a family travelling to an airport for a holiday. As of Friday, three women and a seven-year-old boy remained in hospital with serious injuries. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the incident as "irresponsible and dangerous driving". He said the behaviour was even more appalling where it was carried out for social media likes despite the potentially devastating consequences for innocent people and the drivers themselves. Pollard is now demanding that platforms "step up". Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live, he challenged companies that have argued they should be allowed to police themselves to prove it by removing content that celebrates dangerous behaviour on Britain's roads. The Government has also warned that voluntary action may not be enough. Pollard said ministers would use powers under the Online Safety Act to compel platforms to remove content that remains online. Ofcom said platforms have duties under the Act to minimise children's exposure to violent material and content promoting dangerous challenges. The regulator launched an investigation into TikTok's compliance with child-safety duties in July and said it would act if evidence showed companies were falling short. The pressure is now firmly on social media companies. Following a fatal crash involving police officers and five other people, ministers and regulators are demanding action against online material that they say can encourage dangerous behaviour before another tragedy strikes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce308l1w5q5o
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