Crime & Justice 2 min read 5h ago

No 10 Backs Ofcom Action Over Dangerous Driving Videos After A66 Crash

Downing Street has backed Ofcom to take tough action against social media platforms that fail to remove dangerous driving videos posted in the aftermath of the fatal A66 crash.
The crash, in which a wrong-way Volkswagen Passat hit a marked armed response vehicle, killed seven people including PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.
The government says social media sites are legally obliged to remove the clips, which ministers have condemned as 'utterly disgraceful', though it remains unclear whether

Downing Street has thrown its full weight behind Ofcom to pursue tough enforcement action against social media platforms that refuse to remove videos depicting dangerous driving, following a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough that killed seven people, including two police officers.

The crash and its aftermath online

The collision, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, involved a Volkswagen Passat carrying five occupants aged between 17 and 23, which was travelling the wrong way along the A66 before striking a marked armed response vehicle head-on. PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, both of whom died in the incident, were among the seven fatalities.

In the wake of the crash, footage described by Downing Street as depicting dangerous driving circulated on social media platforms. The government characterised the clips as "utterly disgraceful" and stated that platforms are legally obliged to remove such material under existing online safety obligations.

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Government and regulatory response

A minister separately instructed social media companies to take down posts that were said to celebrate dangerous driving. Downing Street confirmed the government's support for Ofcom to act firmly against any platform found to be in breach of its legal duties. It is not yet clear which platforms have been formally notified, nor whether any have complied or declined to act.

The episode intensifies pressure on social media companies to enforce content moderation rules around harmful road-related material, with regulators now publicly positioned to respond should voluntary removal prove insufficient.

##OnlineSafety ##A66Crash ##Ofcom

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