In less than a week, 12 people have lost their lives in two separate road accidents in the UK and Ireland, both involving cars traveling on the opposite side of the motorway. The accidents have opened a serious question about the ever-present trend of filming extreme and dangerous driving for social networks, including TikTok.
Irish and British police are investigating the circumstances of the accidents, while officials have warned of content promoting driving on the opposite side of the highway and other risky practices.
Five teenagers died in Ireland
The first tragedy occurred on August 16 in County Kildare, Ireland, when a BMW traveled on the opposite side of the M9 motorway and collided with another car. Five teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 died in the accident. In the other vehicle was a family traveling to Dublin Airport.
Four people from that car were injured and hospitalized, and two women were in critical condition. The crash has attracted a lot of attention as Irish police officials have warned of a trend in which some drivers are deliberately pulling into the opposite lane of the motorway in order to post the footage on social media.
Irish Police Commissioner Justin Kelly said that in some cases vehicles are driving on the wrong side of the highway because of "likes" on social media.
Seven dead in England
Just a few days later, in the early hours of August 22, another tragedy occurred on the A66 near Middlesbrough in northern England.
In a collision between a car driving on the opposite side of the road and a police vehicle, seven people died - five young men from the car and two policemen. The dead police officers Matthew Blades and Tom Clough were in the emergency police vehicle that was driving properly. There were five men between the ages of 17 and 23 in the other car.
According to the information so far, the police had previously followed the car due to several incidents related to the vehicle. The chase lasted for about seven minutes, after which the car started driving on the opposite side of the A66.
A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with the case, and the investigation continues.
Social networks under pressure from the authorities
Two tragedies in a short period of time have brought TikTok and other social networks under intense pressure from the British and Irish authorities.
The British government has asked social media to remove content glorifying dangerous driving, including footage of cars driving on the opposite side of the road.
British Defense Minister Luke Pollard said that if the platforms do not remove such content themselves, the authorities will use the powers of the Internet Security Act to force them to do so.
Of particular concern is the fact that videos of drivers passing between other cars at high speed, driving on the opposite side of the road or deliberately provoking police patrols are being published on social networks.
Such videos can garner a large number of views, comments and followers, further encouraging some users to push the boundaries of dangerous behavior.
TikTok claims to remove dangerous content
TikTok said its rules prohibit content that can cause serious physical harm, including dangerous driving, and that the company is removing videos and accounts that violate the rules.
British regulator Ofcom, however, is already investigating TikTok's compliance with its obligations to protect children from harmful content. The regulator specifically pointed to the platform's obligation to reduce children's exposure to content that promotes dangerous challenges.
The Irish regulator is also seeking answers from TikTok about how videos of dangerous driving got on the platform and how they were treated.
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