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

3 hours ago, bannork said:

You have to stop idiotic, impressionable teenagers from killing themselves, and more importantly, killing innocent people.

While there is no official, aggregated global statistic tracking the exact number of accidents caused specifically by wrong-way driving for TikTok videos, a highly publicised fatal crash on 16 August 2026 has brought intense scrutiny to this dangerous online trend.

The Fatal M9 Motorway Crash (August 2026)

• The Incident: Five teenage boys (aged 15 to 18) were killed in a horrific, head-on collision after driving a BMW at high speed the wrong way up the M9 motorway in County Kildare, Ireland. [1, 2, 3]

• The Victims: The teenagers died at the scene. The oncoming car they struck carried a family of four—three sisters and a seven-year-old boy—who were travelling to Dublin Airport. All four sustained severe or critical injuries.

• The Social Media Connection: The Irish Police (Gardaí) confirmed this was part of a growing, deadly trend where young joyriders film themselves committing severe traffic violations—such as wrong-way driving and taunting police pursuits—strictly to gain views, traction, and "likes" on TikTok.

Broader Trend Context

• Multiple Incidents: Authorities in Ireland noted this was the second wrong-way motorway crash in just one week linked to dangerous driving exhibitionism for social media.

• Content Formats: The videos uploaded to platforms like TikTok typically feature dashboard cameras capturing extreme speeds, masked passengers filming from the back seat, and high-velocity navigation against oncoming traffic.

I believe there should be a UN agency that approves every post on social media. This is necessary for the greater good and is the right thing to do. Anyone who disagrees is either racist or transphobic.

30 minutes ago, Mr Awesome said:

I believe there should be a UN agency that approves every post on social media. This is necessary for the greater good and is the right thing to do. Anyone who disagrees is either racist or transphobic.

Will you volunteer to do that? 😉 Just a few billion posts per day. 😁

2 minutes ago, msbkk said:

Will you volunteer to do that? 😉 Just a few billion posts per day. 😁

Absolutely! I want to be the ruler of social media. Respect my authority.

1 hour ago, bannork said:

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.

And to think the usual conspiracy theorist numpties on here have a problem with videos like the above being removed.

44 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

And to think the usual conspiracy theorist numpties on here have a problem with videos like the above being removed.

Will you support me as the social media czar? I'll make the internet safe again.

9 minutes ago, Mr Awesome said:

Will you support me as the social media czar? I'll make the internet safe again.

I'll support you Awesome so long as you ban for life all plicks who try to derail threads with diversions.

12 further arrests have been made in connection with this i won't say accident. The idiots driving were involved with another vehicle prior to this incident, none of them were wearing seatbelts when they collided with the police officers Car head on at high speed. A new craze on TIC TOk video's where Yobs are driving dangerously and filming it. PC Clough was an iraqi veteren who also served in Afgahn with the British Army, poor guy survived that then lost his life to Yobs being clever.

Edited Monday at 02:40 PM3 days by BarraMarra

A66 crash: police probe links five dead men to organised crime

The five young men who died when their car crashed into a police vehicle on the A66 may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”, police have said.

Cleveland Police has arrested 12 other people as investigators examine alleged criminality before the collision, which killed the five occupants of the Volkswagen Passat and two police officers.

Police uncover alleged criminal network behind fatal crash

The 12 suspects — nine men and three women aged between 19 and 61 — were arrested over alleged offences including involvement in an organised crime group and firearms possession.

Four are also suspected of possessing Class A and B drugs with intent to supply. Police said four of the five men who died had previous convictions and were believed to be associated with a Volvo XC60 allegedly seen ramming properties earlier that morning.

Both vehicles were reportedly using cloned number plates and were identified through automatic number plate recognition cameras.

Pursuit ended seconds before tragedy

The Passat was pursued for almost seven minutes after police received intelligence linked to “numerous incidents”. It then entered the A66 at South Bank travelling against the flow of traffic.

Officers terminated the pursuit and continued on the correct side of the carriageway. Around 10 seconds later, the Passat smashed into the marked armed response vehicle carrying PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Five who died in A66 crash may have had links to 'organised criminal activity'

12 hours ago, bannork said:

You have to stop idiotic, impressionable teenagers from killing themselves, and more importantly, killing innocent people.

While there is no official, aggregated global statistic tracking the exact number of accidents caused specifically by wrong-way driving for TikTok videos, a highly publicised fatal crash on 16 August 2026 has brought intense scrutiny to this dangerous online trend.

The Fatal M9 Motorway Crash (August 2026)

• The Incident: Five teenage boys (aged 15 to 18) were killed in a horrific, head-on collision after driving a BMW at high speed the wrong way up the M9 motorway in County Kildare, Ireland. [1, 2, 3]

• The Victims: The teenagers died at the scene. The oncoming car they struck carried a family of four—three sisters and a seven-year-old boy—who were travelling to Dublin Airport. All four sustained severe or critical injuries.

• The Social Media Connection: The Irish Police (Gardaí) confirmed this was part of a growing, deadly trend where young joyriders film themselves committing severe traffic violations—such as wrong-way driving and taunting police pursuits—strictly to gain views, traction, and "likes" on TikTok.

Broader Trend Context

• Multiple Incidents: Authorities in Ireland noted this was the second wrong-way motorway crash in just one week linked to dangerous driving exhibitionism for social media.

• Content Formats: The videos uploaded to platforms like TikTok typically feature dashboard cameras capturing extreme speeds, masked passengers filming from the back seat, and high-velocity navigation against oncoming traffic.

A day or two earlier

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/08/16/several-deaths-in-head-on-collision-on-m9-motorway/

On August 24th

https://x.com/marcjushm/status/2091834374958268468

12 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Whh not just bring pikeys under the existing laws. Sick of the multi tier law system in England.

Are you the sort of person who regularly uses terms like "Yid", "Wop", "N****r" or "w*g" among strangers?

The word "pikey" is up there with them. Use another word.

Edited Monday at 09:25 PM3 days by Roadsternut

12 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Michaels mother appears to need reminding just who gets to go "up there" and who gets sent "down there" Not quite sure what "peace" she thinks he's entitled to but, bearing in mind where he should rightfully have ended up, she might want withdraw her request for him to a reserve her a seat

The remains of these teens should be cremated and flushed down the toilet - and the families forced to watch. They are partly responsible for the actions of their feral offspring.

13 hours ago, bannork said:

Comments by one of the joyriders' mothers after his death.

On the upside, her impact on the gene pool had been diminished.

Social media platforms sharing in the profits need to be given a share of the costs.

Sky news mentioned this little tidbit

on their website this morning.

'Cleveland Police confirmed there is no evidence to indicate the incident was being filmed for TikTok.'

34 minutes ago, johng said:

Sky news mentioned this little tidbit

on their website this morning.

'Cleveland Police confirmed there is no evidence to indicate the incident was being filmed for TikTok.'

More tidbits:

Occupants of the car that drove the wrong way on the A66 dual carriageway in Teesside (Cleveland Police area) had previously filmed and shared dangerous driving videos on TikTok.

• The Past Videos: A TikTok account belonging to 18-year-old passenger Makai Saddington previously posted videos showing him as a passenger during what appeared to be a police pursuit. Another deleted clip from the same account showed a joyride reaching speeds of 100mph. A separate TikTok video also showed 23-year-old Jacob Matusiak, who was also killed in the crash, driving recklessly.

5 hours ago, Roadsternut said:

Are you the sort of person who regularly uses terms like "Yid", "Wop", "N****r" or "w*g" among strangers?

The word "pikey" is up there with them. Use another word.

Would "Gammon" be on your list too? Oh, I see🤣

19 hours ago, johng said:

I would like to know how the highly trained armed police response unit failed to avoid collision with the 'youth' .

I was just pointing out that wrong way driving is very common on Thai roads and everyone who drives in Thailand should be 'heads up' about it.

If there is a car heading towards you travelling the wrong way at high speed, there are only two ways to go. It would appear both vehicles chose the same way.

The Police car in the collision was not part of the pursuit but happened to be in the area and was asked to report any sightings of the vehicle.

Young people are “baiting police officers” with dangerous driving, the Police Federation of England and Wales said in the wake of the collision in which seven people, including two police officers, were killed.

It comes after police said five young men who died after their vehicle hit a police car on a dual carriageway may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”.

Cleveland Police said 12 other people have been arrested over alleged criminality leading up to the collision in Teesside.

These included four people arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and four on suspicion of possessing a firearm.

Four of the suspects are also accused of possessing Class A and B drugs with intent to supply and one of the four, Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close in Redcar, has been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs and possession of criminal property.

Paul Williams, acting deputy national chairman for the Police Federation of England and Wales, told BBC Breakfast:

“Every day we can identify now numerous examples of young people sensationalising dangerous driving. Not just dangerous driving, but baiting police officers who are out there to protect the public.

It’s a real problem. It’s causing officers concern. They shouldn’t have to be going out and worrying about whether they’re going to return home from their shift or not. But on top of that, wondering if they’re going to be plastered all over social media.

It’s absolutely unacceptable and social media platforms need to take some action.”

Four of the five young men in the car had previous criminal convictions, and were believed to be associated with another car which was seen ramming properties earlier that morning.

Young people 'baiting police' with dangerous driving – Police Federation

This article is related to the incident in Eire just over a week ago.

Mum begged judge to jail son before fatal M9 crash

Kamil Pustkowski, 17, died with four other teenagers in the M9 crash, which also injured three sisters and a child (Picture: TikTok/PA)

Ireland is mourning five teenagers killed in a horrific wrong-way crash on the M9 in County Kildare. Now the mother of 17-year-old Kamil Pustkowski has revealed she had begged a judge to jail her son weeks before his death, saying his behaviour had spiralled beyond her control.

Kamil, from Limerick, was one of five young occupants of a BMW killed when the car travelling the wrong way on the motorway smashed into another vehicle on Sunday, August 16. Jack Kennedy, 17, Jeremy O’Brien, 18, Joe Carthy, 15, and 16-year-old Alex McCarthy also died.

Jeremy O’Brien (from top left to right), Joe Carthy, and Kamil Pustkowski died along with Alex McCarthy (bottom left) and Jack Kennedy

Sisters Ella Hendricken (from left to right), Niamh Kinsella and Alma Kinsella were seriously hurt in the M9 crash along with Alma’s son travelling in the car with them to the airport

Three sisters and a child in the other vehicle were injured and remain in hospital. Ella Hendricken, Niamh Kinsella and Alma Kinsella, along with Alma’s seven-year-old son, were caught up in the devastating collision.

The tragedy has also triggered a bitter online backlash, with hatred directed at the dead teenagers and their families. Online rumours accused Kamil of being a gang ‘leader’ – a claim his mother, Emilia Pustkowska, fiercely rejected.

Ms Pustkowska said Kamil had taken responsibility for previous offences that brought him before the courts. But she said his cases were repeatedly adjourned, reportedly because of a solicitors’ strike and twice because evidence was not ready.

She said she had been desperate for the justice system to intervene. “Nobody listened to me,” she told the Irish Mail on Sunday, adding that she had even believed prison might give her son time to mature.

In January 2025, gardai contacted the family over possible car offences involving Kamil, which his mother described as the point when things “snowballed”. He was also accused of house burglaries, although his mother said she was unsure whether he was involved and no charges were brought over them.

Court dates followed. A hearing at the Children’s Court in Smithfield, Dublin, on July 22 and another case scheduled in Limerick for July 27 were reportedly adjourned, despite Kamil pleading guilty to some offences.

Ms Pustkowska said she had told a judge: “I can’t keep him at home.” She described living for two years “as a prisoner” because she had locked everything away.

Kamil had been diagnosed with autism and struggled to keep friends, his mother said. While accepting his crimes, she insisted he had been groomed and picked on, and argued it was unfair to put all the blame on him.

She also said gardai had told her Kamil was not driving the BMW. “I know he wasn’t [the leader],” she said. “He was lost… not the leader.”

Ms Pustkowska said she was “so sorry” for the families caught up in the crash. But she said the atmosphere was so hostile that even apologising to the injured family felt impossible.

The funerals have now begun. Kamil, Joe and Alex were buried on Friday, while Jeremy was laid to rest in Askea, Carlow, and Jack is due to be cremated tomorrow afternoon.

Jeremy’s mother also spoke ahead of his funeral, saying she wished she could apologise to the injured family. She said she had prayed for them to heal and added: “I am not proud of what happened and I don’t condone what they did – I wish my son had never got into that car.”

Mum begged judge to jail joyrider son weeks before his death in M9 wrong way crash