Joyriding for likes: how to stop it?
There has been a surge in the number of serious accidents in the UK and Ireland involving teenagers who steal cars and post videos of their joyrides on social media. After twelve people were recently killed in two accidents involving cars driving in the wrong direction on the motorway, the British press examines how to end the joyriding trend.
Roads must not become lawless spaces
There are two ways to tackle the dangerous joyriding trend, says The Times:
“Joyriders are less likely to engage in dangerous driving if there is a visible presence on the roads, reminding them of the potential consequences of their actions. The other area in which change is required is tackling social media glorification of reckless and dangerous driving. ... All platforms must make greater efforts to clamp down on material glorifying law-breaking and thrill-seeking behind the wheel. That, together with greater numbers of dedicated traffic police, is needed if the roads are not to become lawless avenues for life-threatening behaviour.”
Algorithms are not the problem here
Blaming social media for the joyriding misses the point, argues The Spectator:
“If social media is impacting driving deaths, it may be reducing them. Sexual intercourse and drug-taking are also declining. Kids are too busy scrolling to get themselves in trouble. But more to the point, if Burnham and his government want to do something to stop teenage joyriders, there are bigger fish to fry than algorithms. The maximum penalty for driving without a license is £1,000 [around 1,200 euros], which is significantly lower than the average cost of acquiring a license, meaning lots of teenagers circumvent formal training.”