Surge in drivers going wrong way down Britain's roads amid 'sickening' social media trend
National Highways, which is responsible for roads in England, told LBC that 1,199 drivers had been reported in the previous 12 months - a surge of 25%
The government is mulling a fresh crackdown on influencers posting “appalling” joyriding videos online, after LBC uncovered a sharp rise in reports of vehicles being driven the wrong way down roads across mainland Britain.
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According to data obtained from the bodies responsible for A-roads and motorways in England, Wales and Scotland, almost 1,300 reports of cars, vans and motorbikes travelling towards oncoming traffic were made in the 12 months to August 2026 - an average of 25 a week.
National Highways, which is responsible for roads in England, told LBC that 1,199 drivers had been reported in the previous 12 months - a surge of 25%.
Justin Madders, the roads minister, told LBC the government is looking at further sanctions for social media companies and individuals uploading videos of dangerous driving.
In August, seven people were killed when a Volkswagen Passat carrying five men under the age of 23 was involved in a head-on collision with a police vehicle after driving the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough.
PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, both died at the scene.
All five passengers in the Volkswagen - Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and seventeen year-olds Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy - were also killed in the collision.
Police had been in pursuit of the vehicle for around seven minutes before it started driving against the flow of traffic on the A66; the fatal collision occurred around ten seconds after police aborted the chase.
The collision near Middlesbrough is far from an isolated incident, however.
Last month, a man suffered potentially life-changing injuries after his car was struck by another vehicle driving the wrong way down the M1 near Wakefield. Three people were arrested on suspicion of causing injury by dangerous driving.
In April, two drivers died in a motorway crash on the M90 near Kinross, Scotland, when a grey Ford Kuga travelling northwards on a southbound carriageway struck a white Vauxhall Corsa.
In Ireland, meanwhile, five teenage “joyriders” were killed in a head-on crash in County Kildare in August, with social media accounts belonging to some of the dead appearing to show videos of cars being stolen, driven dangerously and taunting police officers into engaging in high-speed pursuits.
The incidents come amid growing concern of videos spreading online glorifying dangerous driving.
LBC has previously uncovered a litany of videos across social media depicting reckless driving and dizzying speeds.
In one video from the Teesside area, a driver is shown accelerating to 100mph on a motorway while appearing to inhale from a balloon, which frequently contains nitrous oxide.
The videos seen by LBC disproportionately featured young people.
More than 23,000 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving drivers aged 17-24 in the past five years, according to data released by the Department of Transport.
Seventeen year-old Olivia Alkir was killed in a head-on collision while she was in the car with a school friend in Ruthin, north Wales, in 2019.
The driver, Edward Bell, who had only passed his test the previous day, was racing another seventeen year-old, Thomas Quick, at speeds of up to 90 mph when the crash occurred. They both received sentences of five years for causing death by dangerous driving.
Her mother, Joanna Alkir, believes young lives are being endangered by an online culture that encourages dangerous driving.
"You've got the natural young boy ego to drive fast and get behind a car and feel like they're invincible," she told LBC. "At the same time you've got social media which is showing various boys racing around and getting up to antics in cars.
“It's getting worse at the moment, but I do really strongly believe it's the ego, the arrogance, and how they're influenced by what they see outside and on social media."
After Olivia's death, Joanna found footage on her phone of one of the boys driving around a garden with a passenger on his bonnet.
Having lost her only child, Joanna is now campaigning for a Graduated Drivers License to be introduced across the UK, placing additional restrictions on newly qualified drivers, as well as for improved education for young drivers.
She continued: "Obviously now you've got these young boys driving up the motorway the wrong way: it's time for the government to look at social media, and also it’s time for us to educate young people in schools, colleges, anywhere we can about the dangers of social media and what that can lead to."
Madders, meanwhile, suggested the government is looking at further sanctions for social media companies and individuals uploading videos of dangerous driving.
“It's absolutely appalling that we're seeing people glorifying this kind of criminal activity, which has unfortunately led to a number of deaths.
“There are already powers in place for social media companies to be dealt with to stop that stuff going out. There are already criminal sanctions in place for people who are uploading this stuff, but actually we need to look at how much further we need to go because this is clearly a trend, a sickening trend, that we absolutely need to clamp down on.
“This is clearly an emerging issue, but we are looking at what more we can do because there are powers in place, there are punishments that can be issued, but actually if this is continuing to be a growing problem, we absolutely need to look at whether we can go further.
A spokesperson for National Highways told LBC that confirmed reports of cars driving the wrong way remain rare, but added: "Safety is our top priority, which is why every report of an oncoming vehicle triggers an immediate response to protect road users. This can include using roadside signals to warn drivers and reducing speed limits where necessary.
“These figures should be treated with caution as they may include unconfirmed reports received by our operations centres. Confirmed incidents of wrong way driving remain rare. Every report is treated seriously and acted on quickly.
“If you see someone driving the wrong way, it is essential that you call 999 as soon as it is safe to do so.”