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?

This.

We have a divided society. Those who want to be a part of a functioning society. Those who couldn’t give a fuck.

Education and awareness is proven to change behaviour but you don’t get snap your fingers and it happens- it takes decades to change society. Look at drink driving.

Curfew for drivers under the age of 21. 17 is too young to be responsible driving a car.

This is too much and will be unsuccessful because it’s overwhelming and trying to do too much.

you can target resolving teen reckless driving without needing to change the world. It doesn’t work like that.

OK. So they don't get any of the benefits of a functioning society. No social housing, no UC, no Internet, no social media. No use of the roads. Nothing.

What the heck has Diogo Jota, beloved Liverpool player and father of three got to do with teenage car thieves. People speed all the time.

Worse than that in Scotland, Kate Nevans MSP Edinburgh and Lothians East, wants all prisons abolished. List candidate so no one actually voted for her specifically. She's Equalities (and international) spokesperson.

Q Manivannan is the Culture spokesperson (doesn't even know Scottish law never mind culture) for the same region, no one voted for him either. Yet this is the shitshow in charge.

The driver who killed 2 policemen was 23.

I agree. (Except I am a very decent, professional single parent (through no fault of my own) who has brought up two, amazing boys).

I would add, accountability of parents, from the child being young. More social workers, tougher measures including removal of benefits, much more onus on fathers to pay for their own child, harsher sentences for drug and other criminal offences.

This requires taxes to improve services including building youth institutions and prisons, employ more social workers. (Who also have to be accountable).

Thats correct. The pursuit was called off and seconds later the other police car, which wasnt involved and was driving on the correct side of the road, was hit by the stolen car.
Tragic for those 2 men, both fathers of young children 😢

Cant imagine any current scenario that prevents cars being stolen and driven illegally.
Dont think the technology has been invented yet...when it is expect the bad guys to be able to get round it quite soon after.

Someone died in a crash caused by his reckless driving? It’s totally related to the conversation

The eldest two were 23. And the car was stolen. Not sure you can do much about this level of stupidity, recklessness or the likelihood they were drunk/high, sadly. I do think SM also needs to be made responsible - tiktok/insta etc need to take down any and all videos glorifying dangerous driving, hanging/death dare games etc and be prosecutable under some sort of law.

I have always felt that parents should be legally liable for the actions of their offspring and stand in the dock beside them, and only be let off if they can produce expert testimony as to the efforts taken and support obtain to manage their children (ie, they’ve initiated and proactively worked with school GP, social services etc to try and manage their child’s behaviour). They are legally liable to feed, clothe etc and even beyond 18 are expected to financially support them in higher education, so why not be held culpable for their actions if it is obviously that poor/inadequate parenting is in part to blame?

How about killing someone by intentionally driving the wrong way should be an automatic murder sentence.

What about when you’re a confused old lady?

Effectively it is, isn't it? Driving without due care and attention. Issue is that if the police take pursuit they can aggravate the situation and are more likely to trigger an accident, so they are damned if they respond, damned if they don’t. And given that these kids end up dead themselves, criminal liability is futile?

• Raise the driving age to 21
• Have a minimum number of driving lessons you need to have before you can pass
• Add an extended Safe Driving section to the test
• Any traffic offences below the age of 25, remove their licence so they have to apply again with strict conditions
• No person under 23 to carry passengers
• Limit the models of cars young drivers can drive
• Stealing a car means loss of licence for 3 years
• Frequent and repeated education in schools about driving safely
• Photos, testimonials and videos of serious accidents and injuries to be shown to teens who are 14+, with talks by the police and fire brigade

But it’s not just teens and young people, is it? It’s basically boys and young men. Very few teenage girls and young women speed through streets or drive the wrong way down motorways.

This is the thing I don’t think people realise. Sentences and consequences can be similar - causing death by driving can attract a life sentence as murder does. If the sentence is the same why are people so set on it being murder?

Black boxes and parents taking responsibility for their children, it’s their role to educate them. My son hasn’t passed yet but I’ve told him the statistics of young new drivers crashing and dying

New laws and restrictions will make not a scrap of difference to the sort of people who do this, because they care zero about the ones we already have.

This is an excellent point.
The "broken window" policy in New York years ago made a massive difference.
However these lads are not ordinary kids from ordinary families, their parents weren't parented and probably theirs before them. Just because it's difficult doesn't mean you don't try.

On the subject of stricter driving rules. I'm absolutely in favour of probationary rules such as night time curfews, no passengers. I know this would inconvenience some but every year in every area there's a tragic death of teenagers. These aren't in the same category as the ones on the news. Ordinary kids with poor judgement and immaturity. My DC are adults now but when they were teens they told me some hair raising stories and at least one friend wrote off a car a week after passing a test.

This. Obligatory National service would open up another world to many of the feral little sh*ts who have never known structure or been taught rules, regulations or pride in legitimate achievement. The forces offer so many opportunities that once over the initial shock of not being as tough as they thought they were, it could be the making of them and change the miserable course of their current lives forever.

Yes all this. I know sometimes it's in stolen vehicles but often crashes happen with inexperienced drivers with 4 mates in the car racing with others. We had an accident last year near us 4 teens dead 1 life changing injuries wrapped around a tree Friday night.
What sickens me is somebody has hung the drivers name written on a private plate at the crash site. Glorifying the little fools actions imo. Angers me every time I pass as it happened just after my own DD with 2 kids travelled along the same road. It's a roulette whether the driver kills himself, all his mates or other innocent members of the public.
Having said that the most horrific crash recently near us involved an experienced biker/professional lorry driver in his 50s with his wife on the back. Sunday afternoon In July 2024.speeding allegedly racing with another car and a poor family, mum, dad 2 daughters were hit by the biker he went through their car like a missile. They all died at the scene and the family had left one daughter playing with a friend now living with that for the rest of her life.
I work with a guy who had a motorbike accident at 18 and he always says young people's brains act differently. He never joins in the anger.
With all the Balaclava wearing ebike drug dealers about as well a lot of laws need updating and they need insuring.
At the very least banning passengers is a start after 7pm.

I think this thread is confusing as it is dealing with two things, the dangers of young drivers and the dangers of a young criminal underclass.

It maybe all solutions are needed, but it is certain that the changes that are applied to all young drivers (age limits, black box etc etc) are not going to impact at all on the young criminal underclass.

I don't know the roads involved , did they go down the slip road then deliberately take a right turn instead of joining the main carriageway? Or go across the central reservation?
I did hear they weren't using lights either.
I don't enjoy driving at night , the number of people who don't switch lights on, maybe because most cars have automatic headlights but you have to manually switch on the rear lights. Maybe the streetlights are enough they don't realise.
Some do if I give them a quick signal ( flash of my lights) but if they ignore, I stay well back and don't persist. I was told by a colleague it's something drivers do to get in a fight with you and I cannot be doing with it.

There are some young lads near me who drive small noisy motorbikes, they squeeze through gaps in traffic then roar off doing wheelies. No helmets, no numberplate, probably no insurance. The police don't bother.
I do think " fecking fall off ya prick" .

Tik Tok dares etc are getting worse.
I've seen a few online ( I don't have tik Tok) the ice bucket challenge is innocent compared to the Float Like a Fairy ( spinning from a height with a tie round your neck) or the one where 3 people in a line sweep the legs from the one in the middle.
Now this filming breaking the speed limit and they up the ante going the wrong way