A series of dangerous driving incidents have raised fears and concerns for Irish motorists. Online News Editor Beth Clifford writes about the role that social media has played in promoting this reckless behaviour.

By Beth Clifford | Sep 10 2026

Social media companies have come under scrutiny in Ireland for their algorithms gamifying and amplifying dangerous driving videos following two recent high-profile car crashes that occurred on Ireland’s M50 and M9 motorways. This comes in light of Ireland facing its deadliest year in nearly 10 years for road traffic fatalities, surging 17.8% to 126 deaths.

On August 9, nine people were hospitalised when eight teenage boys driving down the wrong side of the motorway collided with another driver travelling on the correct side of the road near junction 12 on the M50. On August 16, five teenage boys died, and four other people were left seriously injured, in a car crash that also involved a vehicle driving in the wrong direction at junction 3 on the M9.

Similarly, on August 22 in Middlesbrough, England, five young men driving the wrong way on a dual-carriageway hit an oncoming marked police car, killing seven. Politicians and police across Ireland and the UK have blamed social media sites for promoting such instances of reckless driving and illegal activity.

Videos of people driving on the wrong side of the road and at high speeds have garnered notoriety on social media in recent years. Concerns have been raised that the attention, views, and likes that these videos receive online only encourage others to replicate dangerous behaviour.

While some social media companies have since taken down many of the videos and banned accounts that displayed reckless driving, the problem persists as these videos are often saved and reposted by other users. Research by The Journal also found that social media algorithms show these videos to people who have already viewed them, further boosting the videos.

Additionally, this genre of social media content tends to promote car theft and confrontations with gardaí in particular. Gardaí currently have limited powers to intervene in cases of wrong-way driving, as they are not trained to engage in vehicle pursuits and risk prosecution for dangerous driving if they do so. David Staunton, a barrister in road traffic legislation, argues that adjustments could be made to the law that would give gardaí immunity when legitimately pursuing a criminal.

A total of 115 road collisions have occurred this year in Ireland alongside 126 fatalities. This marks an increase in deaths on Irish roads by 17.8% for the same period in 2025. Road safety campaigners express worry that 2026 may become one of the worst years yet for traffic deaths. Young people between 16 and 25 years old have made up 27% of deaths this year.

In light of these events, the Irish government and gardaí have proposed ideas and have made proactive decisions to tackle this issue. Gardaí have confirmed they are collaborating with police in the UK to obtain pursuit training, set to begin before the end of the year. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has announced that legislation is being prepared to provide stronger protections for gardaí.

Sean Canney, Minister of State for Road Safety at the Department of Transport, has called for increased jail time for those convicted of driving the wrong way down a motorway. The junior transport minister also suggested implementing artificial intelligence into current camera technology on motorways to better detect illegal driving. He says that such technology could better support the work of the gardaí in addressing wrong-way driving as well as alerting other road users to potential danger.