The latest dangerous social media trend that ‘gamifies’ deadly driving

The long month of August is typically one of the busiest times of the year for police, with schools out for summer and many young people at a loose end. From the so-called “teen takeovers” sparking curfews across the United States, to the “blackout challenge” where users choke themselves, viral and occasionally dangerous challenges spurred on by social media have become a draw for some youngsters. This summer though across Britain and Ireland, a new, dangerous trend has emerged. One which involves groups of mostly young men filming what have been dubbed “wrong-way” driving videos, and then posting them online. The British government called on social media companies to remove videos which celebrate dangerous driving on Monday, after a string of deadly crashes in the UK and Ireland involving people driving cars the wrong way down major roads.