{
  "id": 2991161,
  "title": "Social media firms should remove dangerous driving videos, minister says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/social-media-firms-should-remove-dangerous-driving-videos-minister",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T09:48:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC News",
    "slug": "bbc-news",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce308l1w5q5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defence Minister Luke Pollard has urged social media platforms to remove posts that celebrate dangerous driving, following a viral trend of people driving the wrong way down roads. On Monday, Pollard told BBC Breakfast that social media companies could take down such content immediately and adjust their algorithms to prevent it from being celebrated. Two police officers lost their lives when a car traveling the wrong way down a dual carriageway struck their vehicle near Middlesbrough on Saturday, and all five passengers in the other car also perished. A TikTok account, believed to belong to one of the five passengers, 18-year-old Malakai Saddington, shared dangerous driving videos, which have since been removed. Pollard noted that the government has already taken steps to instruct social media companies to remove such content, emphasizing that these companies are aware of the content on their platforms and the financial incentives to post outrageous content for greater viewership. TikTok stated that its policies prohibit content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving, and actively removes such videos and accounts. The BBC has reached out to Meta and X for their perspectives on the matter. Pollard cautioned that it is \"absolutely idiotic\" for anyone to focus on filming themselves or others driving dangerously instead of being fully attentive while driving. He also stressed that such behavior is \"absolutely ridiculous\" and that nobody should engage in it. The incident highlights the dangerous consequences that can result from such reckless actions.",
  "summary": "Defence minister Luke Pollard says \"there's no place\" for social media trend showing people driving the wrong way down roads.",
  "key_points": [
    "Social media platforms must remove dangerous driving content, says Defence Minister Luke Pollard",
    "Two police officers and three passengers died in a wrong-way car crash near Middlesbrough",
    "TikTok removed Malakai Saddington's videos, citing policies against causing physical harm"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "Trump Media CEO defends selling faster access to president's Truth Social posts, says more have signed up",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/trump-media-ceo-defends-selling-faster-access-to-presidents-truth",
        "published": "2026-08-24T11:58:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}