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Study Says Video Games Breed Reckless, Risky (and Skilled) Drivers

by Warren Riddle on February 2, 2011 at 10:00 AM

car crashWell, 'Grand Theft Auto,' you've done it again. According to a Continental Tyre study, enthusiasts of driving games "take more risks than non-gaming drivers" and more frequently engage in dangerous street maneuvers. The statistics (culled from 1,000 gamers and 1,000 non-gamers) indicate that driving gamers crash, hit parked vehicles, sideswipe other cars, violate one-way streets and run red lights far more often than motorists who don't partake in driving games.

Extremely devoted driving gamers apparently represent the worst and most overconfident segment. People who spend more than eight hours per day behind the controller reportedly crash three times more often than gamers who spend less than an hour playing. Tim Bailey, a Continental Tyre safety expert, believes that, "while gamers develop useful skills and are more confident, they need to apply some balance with a sensible assessment of risk."

In one bright spot, though, gamers do apparently perform better on their actual driving tests than do non-gamers. So, at least that's something, right?

Tags: car, CarAccidents, ContinentalTyres, DistractedDriving, driving, DrivingGame, gaming, study, top, transportation

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