Racing game players are more dangerous drivers than those who don't play games, according to new research conducted on behalf of Continental Tyres.

Having quizzed 2,000 motorists (half gamers, half non-gamers) between the ages of 17 and 39 on their driving habits, the firm found that gamers take greater driving risks - and pay for them - much more frequently than non-gaming drivers.

How accurate the findings are is up for debate, but they're pretty damning, as you can see below, courtesy of Jalopnik.

Do play games / Don't play games
% 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 to their vehicle in last 12 months - 1 / 2

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

Peter Rodger from the Institute of Advanced Motorists added: "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. The issue is that when actually driving, our actions lead to 'real' results, and mistakes have very real consequences."

If these finding haven't put you off racing games, you might want to check out Gran Turismo Anywhere, which launches this month.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/28 ... ers-study/

I blame all these people with expensive gaming wheels

i blame biased researchers, could it not also be drawn that gaming and bad driving just so happen undertaken by a certain demographic? theres no proof one causes the other, just that people who do one, also do the other.

may be this will explain my point better:

Could it simply be a age thing. Younger people are more likely to have played a racing game. People above a certain age are much less likely to have done so, and are also more likely to be insured by Saga?

Hmmm. I play racing games yet have a clean license, passed first time, dont get stopped by the police, dont use a mobile, havent driving down a one way street, etc etc.

Oh wait... road rage. I get a bit of that with the number of f*ck-witts I seem to encouter on the roads on a daily basis.

Must be because I play Gran Tuismo!

I misread that as insured by Sega.

+1

Some probably are.

Do play games / Don't play games - I play games.
% stopped by police - 22 / 13 - don't get stopped by the police
% who use mobile when driving - 19 / 12 - Yes, I use my mobile - on hands free
% ever made a claim for an accident - 30 / 15 - Yes
% run a red light in last 12mnths - 31 / 14 - Amber, yes. Red, no.
% driven wrong way down 1-way street - 13 / 10 - no
% hit stationary object when parking - 22 / 13 - no
% accidently clipped a car but kept quiet - 19 / 11 - no
% take risks (accelerate too quickly, overtake) - 44 / 21 - So, accelerating and overtaking is risky?
% suffer road rage - 45 / 22 - Yes, it's not my fault the are so many pr!cks on the road.
% who speed - 25 / 13 - Yes, a little, motorways etc..
% scare others with their driving - 26 / 11 - no
Attempts before passing test - 2 / 3 - First time pass
No. of prangs to their vehicle in last 12 months - 1 / 2 - none

So you're admitting to accelerating hard overtaking cars whilst speeding through amber lights on a call with your mum.

Bloody gamer!

When i was playing a lot of carmageddon II back in the day, my driving definitely suffered if I went straight from game to car.
I think it's fair to say that in some people there'll be a link, and even the numbers aren't saying it's a majority. So it's perfectly expected that lots of you will say 'I'm fine and so's my wife.'

This guy must have been playing Carmageddon too. Possibly NSFW.

gaming has made me a better driver in some context I think, I see driving is just a game and when lots of emergency situations arise when having to do emergency braking or avoiding things my reaction times feel "instant" I dont get worried or put off driving afterwards etc or stressed, just angry sometimes when people pull out

I have to agree. Without the experience of controlling skids in games I would have almost certainly crashed last year on the ice. I got into a 4 wheel skid sideways down a hill towards a main road. I managed to regain control quickly and carried on as normal.