How can reckless teenage driving be prevented?

[UncleColm]

We had that terrible crash recently in the UK which resulted in 7 deaths - RIP to the two Police Officers who were on duty.

In Ireland we had a very similar crash the previous week where five boys died - aged 15 to 17. All were wearing balaclavas at the time of the crash and were 'well known' to Guards. The family they crashed into were three sisters and a seven year old son of one of the sisters (on the way to the airport go to a family wedding) - they are all still in hospital and are very seriously injured.

The previous week, in Ireland, a car carrying eight teenage boys aged from as young as 13 crashed into a car being driven in the correct direction by one young man who is now seriously injured.

The boys seem to be from a mix of poor areas and Travellers. In death they are being celebrated by their families but where were these families when they were alive? Who lets their teenage boy out all night? And let's them produce tiktoks of their 'exploits'? Parental supervision is clearly not in place.

How can this reckless driving behaviour be stopped?

In Ireland there is a huge shortage of jail spaces and places to detain a child under 18. These kids couldn't care less if the Guards catch them - sure what's another Juvenile Caution to them? One of the boys who died was supposed to stay in his own County but had ignored it. They have no fear of the Guards or the law.

I work in a school and there is a huge amount of help available to Traveller children in particular but they still tend to not engage with any after school activities, don't do homework, don't go on school trips, leave school early, high absence rate, etc.

I read recently that, in Ireland, 50% of Travellers don't live beyond 39. In 2026 this a shocking statistic. I don't know what the statistics are for the poor, disadvantaged areas but I do know that the taxpayers provide Social Housing, child benefit, medical cards, free education, free school books and hot lunches, back to school allowances and a whole other host of allowances. There are many initiatives available to help people to stay in education and gain independence.

What more can be done? Is there any way of reaching these young males?

The Krays have has some of the best PR around. The romanticisation is of epic proportions.

I was going to make the same point regarding young people doing jobs that involve working unsocial hours.

It would also make it very difficult for those in rural areas, where public transport varies from pisspoor to non-existent, to get to work or college at all, and prevent them from getting any job where driving is required.

I don’t think it has anything to do with policy, it’s about culture. Sweden is as socialist as it gets, but at the heart of their culture is doing the best you can for the benefit of society at large. They didn’t have government restrictions during lock down, but their movement of people tracked at that time was very similar to that of the U.K. It wouldn’t have worked here, but has nothing to do with socialism.

They were seen as ‘loveable rouges!’

It’s not a socialist as it gets. There’s countries with far greater control than that. Plus it’s still capitalist unlike North Korea.

Ok but in Sweden the model looks very very different. Though it's not the socialist utopia it was cracked up to be these days.

It seems as though generations of "safety net" in this country has morphed into something else entirely. Perhaps it reveals something not very nice in the British national character.

Indeed, if anything, I think drivers should be forced to take lessons on our rural roads. People day tripping from towns have little clue!

Ironically, we also found it really difficult in central Scotland to get our girl dual carriageway experience when learning. The closest non-motorway stretch is about an hour away. Every big road around us is motorway.

I think you're confused, in a socialist state "all animals are equal", the states like Russia and North Korea that claim to be socialist, despite being dictatorships, add the extra bit "but some animals are more equal than others".

It is still way more of a socialist utopia that we are (or could be without a massive change). The point being, their socialism hasn’t led to a society like ours.

Sweden is a social democracy.

4 out of the 5 lads had previous.

Also East Sussex. West Sussex only has a few miles of motorway (M23), and it's on the eastern edge of the county.

Ooft! I’m too busy for you today, you took up way too much much of my time yesterday. 😂

I enjoyed it though, thanks for engaging. 😍

Haha you’ve posted on this thread a fair bit, I’m not keeping you busy.

Sweden still isn’t as you describe.

I think you meant the pp? Sweden is still capitalist.

Not that unusual. I know quite a few other ladies who became mothers in their teens who are responsible normal people. Even people who don’t become young parents will be getting jobs going to college or uni. At what point do you cut the apron strings.
Are we really going to keep pushing draconian laws to punish the majority just while we skirt around the issue that these boys were probably little shits before this happened and should of been sent to a borstal

Sweden's political system is social democracy, not the I'll trouser as much as I can, sod the rest you, system as espoused by the Tories, Reform and both parties in the USA.

Why do you mention Travellers?

Often called "socialist" by the public, countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland are actually market-based capitalist economies

If you look it up you’ll see North Korea and Cuba fit the line as socialist as you can get.

Some of the boys in the Irish crashes were from the travelling community - if
not all - and reported to be part of the lucky dip gang.

Im not sure about this crash.

So the criminals who steal cars and race the wrong way down motorways and dual carriageways would 'only' be able to crash into innocent motorists at a combined 132mph?

This might sound hard-line, and would take some organisation; but one way that innocent people could be protected from criminal death-riders - once the authorities are aware that they're racing the wrong way down a road - would be to send three (or more if more lanes) snow ploughs, fire engines or similar the correct way, all totally legally, from the next junction along. Warnings of long delays could be given on the overhead gantries, owing to a vehicle travelling in the wrong direction.

Essentially, if death-riders have made the choice that people in a vehicle(s) must die as a result of their 'fun', at least it will only be themselves who die and are taken out of doing anything like this again. To emphasise, the massive heavy vehicles will be acting perfectly safely and in accordance with the law; the only single reason why the criminals will die is as a result of their express decision to go death-riding... but at least they won't take any innocent lives away with them.

My understanding is they crashed within about 30 seconds of entering the motorway.

There was no way to clear it or call for snow ploughs.

I’m not convinced by the socialism angle - one of the points made on the R5 phone-in was that this type of driving has become more likely due to reductions in police as drivers know that they won’t be caught. Cutting police numbers was a coalition policy.

Ten seconds after they entered the carriageway and the pursuit was called off according to the statement from the IOPC.

No time at all, especially not to mobilise other vehicles.