The unlikely duo behind the UK’s biggest road safety social media platform

On paper, they couldn’t be more different. George, a popular YouTuber with a loyal following among car modification enthusiasts. Owen Messenger, a road policing sergeant dedicated to reducing risk on the roads. But what began as a knock on the door quickly became one of the most impactful road safety partnerships in UK history.

Together, they've built a unique platform that speaks directly to young drivers - those most at risk of being killed or seriously injured on our roads - using content that’s engaging, non-judgemental, encouraging rather than commanding and genuinely rooted in a shared passion for cars.

In this blog, Owen shares how the collaboration began, how it's grown into a global social media success story with over 2.1 billion views and why reaching young drivers on their own terms is more important than ever.

The pair recently recived a Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable’s Commendation for their commitment to reducing road harm.

By Sergeant Owen Messenger, Vision Zero South West, July 2025

The George’s Car Media (GCM) project was established in 2020 in response to growing concerns over car meets and the behaviour of young drivers in the Plymouth area.

A search of social media, and in particular YouTube, revealed a local ‘YouTuber’ who was uploading content from the car meets on the GCM channel. I therefore had the idea of using this platform to try and reach the young driver audience.

A knock on the door of George to put forward the idea and the GCM/MPS Owen Messenger collaboration was born.

The first video filmed in a garage, in the rain, at Crownhill Police Station went viral achieving hundreds of thousands of views from the target audience. Initially uploading to YouTube we created videos on a number of subjects, blending my technical knowledge with the social media and creative experience of George.

During lockdowns, TikTok became the prominent channel for young people and we found we had to evolve into this short form which was taking over the internet. The videos were even more popular in short form and this allowed us to create short, punchy videos covering popular topics and questions.

By covering the popular topics we were able to slip in important road safety advice and the audience would watch and learn.

Going viral on social media

Five years on and we achieve around 30 million views per month on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. We have recently launched on Facebook and achieved over 15 million views in the first month.

In 2024, 61 million different people watched our videos. We have the largest road
safety based social media platform, certainly in the UK, and most likely in the world.

In total, we now have over 1.7 million followers/subscribers and a total views in excess of 2.1 billion.

Videos can trend at 4000 views per minute and TikTok alone shows 25.8 million likes.

In 2025 we have launched our own website, clothing and merchandise brand promoting awareness of the Fatal Five and ‘race the track not the road’ as well as ‘drive positive Change’.

We continue to film short form content for TikTok, Instagram and FB whilst also creating longer YouTube videos in documentary style that allow us to cover road safety areas in greater depth with far better production.

A labour of love

The vast majority of the work on the project is done in my time and at my expense.

There are pros and cons to me personally and it takes many hours of hard work to make it the success it has become. However, if it saves just one young life then it is all worth it.

George Chester-Master said: “What started as a small idea between Owen and I has grown into something far bigger than I ever expected.  

“Seeing how many people engage with the content, ask questions and actually learn something from it - it’s honestly mad.  

“I think it shows that there is a real appetite for clear, honest information about driving laws and road safety, especially when it is made relatable. The success of GCM online has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey.”

Check out George and Owen in action at George’s Car Media or on YouTube.

Part of the Vision Zero Community

Vision Zero South West is a road safety partnership dedicated to reducing deaths and serious injuries on the roads of Devon and Cornwall. As part of its commitment to eliminating road harm, the partnership is one of many authorities that are members of the Vision Zero Community, powered by Co-Pilot.

The Vision Zero Community is the UK’s only dedicated network for Vision Zero - bringing professionals together to share insight, collaborate and drive progress through the Safe System approach.

To join the movement, find out more here.