Police work with social media star to help keep cars safe

Both Sgt Owen Messenger and George realised it was hard to find reliable information about modifying vehicles

Police are working with a social media influencer to appeal to young people to keep their cars roadworthy.

Devon and Cornwall Police Sergeant Owen Messenger is working with the George's Car Media (GCM) social media channel.

He and presenter George have been showing how to make vehicle modifications that are safe and legal.

The pair said the objective was to educate and help cut the number of young drivers risking their lives on roads in badly modified cars.

Millions of views

Both are car fans and decided to work together after they realised it was hard to find accurate, reliable information to help young people modify vehicles legally.

Their videos also have a following from age groups police traditionally find hard to reach.

During one recent 36-hour period, four videos on TikTok by the pair generated about four million views.

The work also carries a serious message, as George has lost friends in road incidents and Sgt Messenger has dealt with the fallout of crashes.

Viewers can ask for modifications to be made to this car provided by Vision Zero South West

George said: "We are trying to influence people to make the right decisions... these videos aren't forced upon people.

"It's just great to see people come up and say, 'my son has changed his dangerous tyres because of you,' or 'my daughter saw the importance of changing brake pads.'"

A part of the project, the Vision Zero South West partnership, a collective of agencies which works to cut road deaths, have provided a car that viewers can request modifications on so they can find out how it's done safely.

Sgt Messenger said that was about "teaching people how to legally and safely do it [modifying] and stay within the law".

"This is just another step in that project so that we can show people how to do that," he said.

The films deal with all types of care modifications, from tinting windows to lowering suspension.

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