What Are "Likes" Worth... Five Irish Teens Die After Driving Wrong Way on Highway

"Driving the Wrong Way on Highways for 'Likes'"
Cases of Speeding in Stolen Cars for Social Media Videos

A tragic accident occurred on a highway in Ireland where a vehicle driving in the wrong direction collided head-on with an oncoming car, resulting in the deaths of all five teenage passengers. Local police believe the teenagers were engaging in dangerous driving to receive "likes" on social media.

According to The Guardian and other British media outlets on August 16 (local time), the collision took place around 3 a.m. on Highway 9 in Kildare, eastern Ireland. As a result, all five males in their teens who were in one of the vehicles died. Four members of a family riding in the oncoming car—a woman in her 30s, two women in their 20s and 30s, and a child—were all hospitalized with serious injuries.

Police Commissioner Justin Kelly described the accident as "horrific," stating, "This family was simply traveling, having done nothing wrong, when their car was hit by a vehicle driving the wrong way on the highway." He continued, "In some cases, people engage in such behavior to get 'likes' on social networking services (SNS), without considering the potentially fatal consequences for innocent people and themselves." He added, "As this case has been referred to the police ombudsman's office, I cannot go into specifics, but the police are doing everything possible to stop such vehicles."

Previously, at around 5:30 a.m. on August 9, a vehicle drove in the wrong direction onto the entry ramp of Highway 50 in southern Dublin and collided head-on with another vehicle, injuring nine people. According to the Irish media outlet The Journal, police have been dispatched every night in response to a series of incidents in which teenagers steal cars and drive at high speeds to film videos for TikTok.

Meanwhile, cases of dangerous behavior to attract attention on SNS are not limited to Ireland but are being repeated around the world. In January this year, as Storm Ingrid hit parts of the UK, a teenage girl was caught on camera nearly being swept away by strong waves while taking a selfie at the end of a breakwater. Fortunately, she stopped taking photos before the situation became more serious, but there is growing concern about people risking their safety to gain attention on social media.

There is also criticism that various "challenges" and dramatic "verification" culture trending on social media are contributing to such risks. Stimulating content designed to gain views and "likes" can provoke teenagers to imitate these actions and make them underestimate the associated dangers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.