Report: gamers make terrible drivers

Drivers who regularly play videogames are nearly twice as likely to be stopped by police while on the road, according to a new study.

The survey, carried out by Continental Tires and reported by Jalopnik, polled 2000 motorists between the ages of 17 and 39, half of whom were regular gamers, about their driving habits.

The results showed, among other things, that 22 per cent of gamers have been stopped by police, compared to 13 per cent of non gamers.

31 per cent of gamers claimed to have run a red light, compared to 14 per cent of non gamers, while 30 per cent had claimed on insurance for an accident, as opposed to 15 per cent of the non-gaming population.

That said, it seems gamers are more likely to pass their driving test first time out and suffer fewer prangs.

Here's the full run-down of results, with gamers' figures in bold:

% stopped by police: 22/13
% who use mobile when driving: 19/12
% ever made a claim for an accident: 30/15
% ran a red light in last 12 months: 31/14
% driven wrong way down one-way street: 13/10
% hit stationary object when parking: 22/13
% accidentally clipped a car but kept quiet: 19/11
% take risks (accelerate too quickly, overtake): 44/21
% suffer road rage: 45/22
% who speed: 25/13
% scare others with their driving: 26/11
Attempts before passing test: 2/3
No. of prangs to their vehicle in last 12 months: 1/2
So, where are all those Gran Turismo 5 fans going wrong?

"It seems that while gamers develop useful skills and are more confident, they need to apply some balance with a sensible assessment of risk," said Continental's Tim Bailey.

Peter Rodger from the Institute of Advanced Motorists chimed in too, offering the gaming populace a firm finger-waggling.

"I am not surprised that regular gamers find themselves making the same decisions and judgements when driving for real as they do when in the virtual world," he said.

"The issue is that when actually driving, our actions lead to 'real' results, and mistakes have very real consequences."

Expect The Daily Mail to be all over this little gem in 3, 2, 1...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...rrible-drivers