Social media algorithms amplified dangerous driving videos before fatal UK crash
A car traveling the wrong way down a dual carriageway near Middlesbrough crashed into a police vehicle, killing two police officers and five passengers. An 18-year-old passenger's TikTok account had previously shared videos of dangerous driving, which were later removed; however, police said there was no evidence the driving was filmed for social media. UK government officials called for social media companies to remove such content and adjust algorithms to prevent distribution.
What happened
A car traveling the wrong way down a dual carriageway near Middlesbrough crashed into a police vehicle on Saturday. Two police officersโPC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Bladesโwere killed in the collision, as were five passengers in the other vehicle.
An 18-year-old passenger, Makai Saddington, had a TikTok account that previously shared videos appearing to show dangerous driving; these videos were later removed. However, Cleveland Police stated that 'there is no evidence to indicate that filming of the activities that took place on Friday night and Saturday morning has taken place for the purposes of TikTok'.
Reported impact
Seven people died in the crash: two police officers and five passengers. The government and defence officials expressed concern that social media algorithms amplify content glorifying dangerous driving.
Index analysis
Defence Minister Luke Pollard stated that 'social media companies could take the content down easily and adjust their algorithms to stop it being distributed.' He noted that financial incentives to post outrageous content create a mechanism for amplification, as 'the more views you get, sometimes you get money for it'.
Governance controls
TikTok stated its policies prohibit content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving. Prime Minister Andy Burnham called sharing footage glorifying dangerous driving 'truly reprehensible', and the UK government urged social media companies to remove such posts.
Ofcom received government backing to 'take action' against social media platforms that fail in their legal obligations under the Online Safety Act to remove flagged illegal content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.