The TikTok joyriders 'baiting' police: Youths film themselves being chased and brazenly speeding past cop vehicles as yet more dangerous driving stunts come to light

Young people are 'baiting police officers' with dangerous driving, officials warned today as more videos emerged of reckless motorists performing stunts.

Arrogant drivers joyriding in stolen cars or inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel are becoming increasingly popular on social media platforms such as TikTok.

Most clips follow a similar theme where the camera zooms in on a speedometer climbing rapidly before the lens pans to the driver and their laughing passengers.

Further TikTok videos uncovered by the Daily Mail today have been online for months in some cases, showing young drivers mocking police as they speed through streets.

One shows a motorist speeding along a road in the rain in a BMW X3 while a police car chases him, as he shouts: 'Straight through the red light, f***ing leave them.'

In another a driver races through a residential area at dangerous speed, overtaking vehicles before turning off at a pedestrian crossing then travelling over grass.

A third shows a motorist speeding along a country road at over 80mph while wearing gloves, with the video captioned 'stoley' - a reference to a stolen car.

The videos, which were posted between last November and this month, are still live on TikTok despite calls growing for a crackdown on clips glamorising criminality.

It comes as TikTok has banned the accounts of two of the five men who died in a horror smash on the A66 in Teesside which killed two police officers on Saturday.

One TikTok video shows a motorist speeding along a road in the rain in a BMW X3 while a police car chases him, as he shouts: 'Straight through the red light, f***ing leave them'

In another video a driver races through a residential area at dangerous speed, overtaking vehicles before turning off at a pedestrian crossing then travelling over grass

A third clip shows a motorist speeding along a country road at over 80mph while wearing gloves, with the video captioned 'stoley' - a reference to a stolen car

The Government has urged social media platforms including TikTok to remove videos glorifying dangerous driving after two tragedies in the space of a few days left 12 people dead.

While the videos found by the Daily Mail were on TikTok, it is understood that there are other similar examples available to view on other social media platforms. 

Paul Williams, acting deputy national chairman for the Police Federation of England and Wales, told BBC Breakfast: 'Every day we can identify now numerous examples of young people sensationalising dangerous driving.

'Not just dangerous driving, but baiting police officers who are out there to protect the public. It's a real problem. It's causing officers concern.

'They shouldn't have to be going out and worrying about whether they're going to return home from their shift or not. But on top of that, wondering if they're going to be plastered all over social media.

'It's absolutely unacceptable and social media platforms need to take some action.'

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said during a visit to Kyiv yesterday that those who share such videos are 'doing something that's truly reprehensible'.

On Saturday, two police officers died when a car driving the wrong way on a dual carriageway crashed into their vehicle in Teesside.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, that had been pursued by police, hit the marked armed response vehicle seconds after the chase was terminated.

Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were also pronounced dead at the scene.

A TikTok account thought to belong to Saddington had previously shared videos apparently showing dangerous driving, but these have since been removed.

Another TikTok account belonging to Matusiak, also known by his rap name '2Uzi', previously showed videos of him driving recklessly in cars and on motorbikes.

But the account, by the username '2uzziiiii', is now no longer accessible – with a message now reading: 'Account banned. The account 2uzziiiii is no longer available'.

Police at the scene of the fatal crash on the A66 in South Bank near Middlesbrough on Saturday

A separate incident on August 16 saw five teenagers die in a wrong-way crash in Co Kildare

Similarly, Cahill's account under the username 'michael.ray2276' has also been banned and displays the same message.

Cleveland Police has separately revealed that the men may have had links to 'serious and organised criminal activity', adding that 12 other people have been arrested over alleged criminality leading up to the collision.

The force said that on the morning of the collision, it received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously.

The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. The second vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, is believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo.

Police said both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates but were picked up by automated number plate recognition technology. The Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.

In a separate incident on August 16, five teenagers died when the car they were travelling in was driven the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare in Ireland and hit another vehicle.

Joey Carthy, 15; Alex McCarthy, 16; Jack Kennedy, 17; Kamil Pustkowski, 17; and Jeremy O'Brien, 18, all died. Three sisters and a young boy from the same family, who were in the other car, were left with serious injuries.

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The glorification of dangerous driving for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful and that is why we have raised the issue of this appalling content with social media companies since the tragedy.'

An Ofcom spokesman said: 'Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must minimise children's exposure to violent material and content promoting dangerous challenges.

'In July, we launched an investigation into TikTok's compliance with its child safety duties, and we've shown we'll take action if evidence suggests companies are falling short.'

The Daily Mail understands that TikTok staff are closely monitoring any content related to the A66 incident and removing videos and accounts that break its rules.

The platform aims to remove content that glorifies violence or promotes crimes that could harm people. It also aims to remove content that depicts activities likely to be imitated and that could cause significant physical harm, such as risky driving.