According to a study conducted by a U.K. tire concern Continental Tires, video game players are really bad drivers, specifically, people who play driving games. They are more likely to crash into stationary objects than non-gamers. They're more likely to speed. They take bigger risks. They're more likely to use the cell while driving. They're twice as likely to have "road rage." They get ticketed more.
2,000 people between the ages of 17 and 39-- half gamers, half not-- were quizzed about their gaming habits and the results were striking. 22 percent of gamers reported being stopped by police, as compared to 13 percent of non-gamers. 30 percent of gamers had made insurance claims, while only 15 percent of non-gamers made claims.
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The full results are under the cut:
| COMPARISON OF THOSE WHO DO AND DON'T PLAY DRIVING COMPUTER GAMES | ||
| DO | ||
| % stopped by police | 22 | 13 |
| % who use mobile when driving | 19 | 12 |
| % ever made a claim for an accident | 30 | 15 |
| % run a red light in last 12mnths | 31 | 14 |
| % driven wrong way down 1-way street | 13 | 10 |
| % hit stationary object when parking | 22 | 13 |
| % accidently 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 (dents) to their vehicle in last 12months | 1 | 2 |
You could view these numbers as evidence that gaming makes people worse drivers, but I choose to think of it more like this: People who don't play video games are just a bunch of wusses! They drive too slowly, refuse to run redlights, and otherwise drive like my aunt Mimi!
Source: Jalopnik
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Shimodi
Has anyone found a link to the actual study? I'm curious about whether it was done correctly. If the study was as simplistic as the article made it sound, then it is complete junk that Continental should be embarrassed about releasing.
Also, why does Continental Tires even care? It seems like they would want people to have more wrecks if anything. More wrecks --> more destroyed tires --> more replacements --> higher sales. Sure, that would be immoral, but no corporation would allow morality to trump the bottom line.
Shimodi
I think another study out there shows that gamers get high on occasion and find it funny to jack with peoples' studies.
calman7
Funny... I'm 28 and drive a 2000 Mustang GT. No major infractions in recent history though I have hydroplaned down an oily/wet road.
In fact Tuesday I drove 38 miles home from work during the "Chicago Blizzard". Didn't hit anything or anyone, nor did I end up in a ditch.
This study is not only misleading but probably completely unbalanced, cause they ask the wrong questions. I have more insurance claims than other people I know who have hit way more things, because they don't claim them.
Gamers who also have a car are usually very proud of their ride and take care of it. So when we do have an accident we report it so our baby can get fixed. Meanwhile someone who thinks their car is just to get from here to there won't care if it has an extra dent or scrape and will just pretend it didn't happen.
Course that is just the humble opinion of a guy who has been driving a car since 16, and drove go-karts and other such things for some time before that.
tedbigham
This may be amusing, but it clearly is not a valid study (as SO many studies aren't). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S cientific_method.
There is already a well known correlation between age and driving incidents - which is why insurance get cheaper as you get older. There is also already a well known correlation between age and video game playing - we all know younger people play more video games.
The test does not have stable input because the age range of 17-39 is too wide and is not factored in the output. So the output is not valid as presented. A proper test would require a breakdown by age so were not comparing the driving of a 17 year old that plays video games against that of a 39 year old that doesn't.
IamtheRhyno
Am I the only one who notices that Gamers pass their tests faster and have less dents in their car?
Mystical_Knight
Guess I'm one of the oddballs then. I'm a damn good driver, and in the snow (here in PA).
Thales117
I guess gamers have a constant need for... SPEED!?!? Get it? Get it?? I'm SO funny...
Flight_Eagle
Ok, so i was going to sarcastic thank you for posting this before my driving test, but other comments have leveled me out.
Dingo55
99.99 of surveys and studies are junk, to my factor not taken in,, people doing them effect the the results. Just like crime and kids doing crime, they are look for a simple reason, there is non. Back in the day is was rock and rolls fault, then movie, now video game. It starts at home growing up, how you are raised, school, where you live, environment. Also who you are effect the kind of person you become. In this survey did they even look to see if more tickets and accidents have gone up in the last 10 years,
mrfatpockets
This just tells me that non-gamers are liars. And gamers are overly honest.
PhoenixJape
What?! I find the Burnout series to be a great example for young drivers to follow!
Avernale
Correct me if I'm wrong, UK drivers, but my understanding is that it's harder (or almost impossible) to get a driver's license over there than here in the US, so a lot of drivers in the UK do without one. So I would think that would mean people with no business being behind the wheel would be more likely to be driving in the UK than in the US, because they feel there is no need for a license when people who drive better than they do don't have one. Of course, that doesn't really resolve the issue here, since I'm sure licensed and unlicensed drivers were well-represented among gamers and non-gamers. Really, all this says is that bad drivers tend to play video games. If you really want to test how gaming affects driving, you take a non-gamer and see how well he does before and after playing video games.
alaskanhybrid
Im a Formula 1 (game) Driver so I am exempt from this cause we have to be perfect and on our marks.
Dashrunner92
This study is way off. For one, 2000 is not enough if a study this big. Another problem is that their are WAY too many other factors that go into driving that could cause a crash from distractions to a person's mentality to road conditions and many more.
madcowfj79
This study is just not a worthy study. They only ask 1000 games about there driving habits first of all which is okay. Should be 2000 of each to get better results. I feel like the correlation they are making between being a gamer and a bad driver don't really have any bases. To many variables make you a good driver or a bad driver. I dunno i just feel like there is some gaping holes and it just doesn't feel right.
Blue_Vortex
I feel like they're missing another factor here.
DinoHaxxSaur
Just another atempt to ban video games. Wonder what else they will come up with. Headline: Grand theft auto causes premeture ejaculation and poor durg habits.
the_azure_knight
I'm 20 years old I've been driving since I was 16 and I'm a safe driver the only ticket I got was having a broken turn signal ( which incidentally I was going to go get fixed).
mksystem74
I'm 24. No license, haven't drove since I was 15-16 when I took driver's ed. I hate driving, I don't feel safe and I won't put anyone in danger with me being on the road. Don't know if being a gamer has anything to do with it but it seems like a flawed study somehow.
JohnM79
My auto-cross and road racing trophies say otherwise.
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