Legal Niches

Gamers Are Horrible Drivers, Says Survey

By james_fudge

To quote a poignant line from Ground Hog Day, "don't drive angry!" But that is exactly what video game players do. A new study by AUK-based tire manufacturer Continental Tyres found that people who spend time playing driving games are more dangerous when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

The study cited Gran Turismo and Grand Theft Auto as two games that had a particularly bad influence on players. In other words, they took the virtual driving schools out into the real world. The study asked 2,000 motorists (half gamers, half non-gamers) between the ages of 17 and 39 on their driving habits. Though gamers believe said they are more skilled than the average driver, many also say they take higher risks and making more claims on their insurance as a result.

"Gamers take more risks than non-gamers, possibly due to the lack of real consequences in the game," said Tim Bailey, safety expert at Continental Tyres. Read More

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Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on February 01, 2011 (boomark / email).