James May Says ‘Real Petrolheads’ Hate Dangerous Driving Videos After A66 Tragedy

James May has weighed in on the debate around dangerous-driving videos following the devastating A66 crash which claimed seven lives, including those of two police officers.

Speaking to LBC’s James O’Brien, the former Top Gear presenter said that while social media platforms have a responsibility to remove content glorifying reckless driving, it would be too simple to suggest that TikTok and similar apps are solely to blame for people making dangerous decisions behind the wheel.

May made the point in characteristically blunt fashion, saying that watching something online does not automatically make someone copy it. But he was also clear that the kind of clips which show drivers speeding, baiting police or putting others at risk are not representative of real car culture.

“Real petrolheads and car enthusiasts hate this sort of thing,” May said. “It ultimately gives cars a bad name.”

He added that people who genuinely love cars and enjoy driving quickly tend to do so in controlled environments, such as track days, where safety is taken seriously.

That distinction is an important one, as there is a huge difference between enjoying a quick car, learning how to drive it properly and having a blast on a circuit - and treating public roads as a stage for social-media clout.

The A66 tragedy has prompted renewed calls for platforms to act more quickly against videos that celebrate dangerous driving. The Government has said it is prepared to use powers under the Online Safety Act to push companies into removing harmful content, while TikTok says it prohibits material that could cause physical harm.

Cleveland Police has also stressed that there is currently no evidence that the events leading up to the A66 crash were filmed specifically for TikTok.

May’s point is not that social media has no role to play. Algorithms can reward attention-seeking behaviour and reckless-driving videos can make genuinely dangerous actions look normal or impressive to the wrong audience.

But blaming every dangerous driver on a phone app risks ignoring the bigger issue. As May puts it, proper car enthusiasts do not celebrate this stuff and they see it for what it is; behaviour that puts lives at risk and makes everyone who loves cars look worse by association.