A not so scientific study conducted by Continental Tires has concluded that race game players are more likely to run red lights, take risks while driving and be stopped by the police than non-gamers.
The study was conducted by polling 2,000 drivers and asking them to evaluate themselves. Of those polled, 31% of the gamers admitted that they have run a red light in the past year, slightly more than double the 14% non-gamers who admitted the same behavior.
30% of gamers indicated that they have made a claim for at least one accident, compared to 15% of non-gamers. More alarmingly, 44% of gamers admitted that they take risks while driving (such as accelerating too quickly or overtaking other drivers) compared to 21% of non-gamers who believed they acted this way.
"It seems that while gamers develop useful skills and are more confident, they need to apply some balance with a sensible assessment of risk," Continental Tires' Tim Bailey said.
On the plus side for gamers, data has shown that they need fewer attempts on average to pass their driving tests than their non-gaming counterparts. Non-gamers on average need to take the driving test 3 times before passing it, while gamers usually pass it on their second time.
Another reasonable interpretation for the study's findings is that risky drivers prefer to play videogames than non-risky drivers.
