Does Video Games Encourage Dangerous Driving?

A survey for driving school BMS in the UK revealed that more than a third of motorists aged 16 to 24 said they were more likely to go faster on the roads after playing driving games. The study findings come just weeks after a teenager was accused of causing the death of a widow while driving. After the accident admitted he had played a computer racing car game shortly before the accident. A jury accepted that Christopher Hayden, 19, and his co-accused James Budden, 28, were not racing and were convicted only of careless driving.

In the US video game violence such as first person shooter games and online role playing games have always been in the blame game by the governments and child safety watch group targets. However, a recent study has once again shifted the potential blame back over to racing games.

Some people are saying that driving games should carry warnings to prevent young drivers from confusing fantasy with reality. However, there are some people who have video racing games to thank for keeping them safe. One voiced opinion said

“I can say though from personal experience, video game driving once saved me on the road during a bad winter storm when I lost control. Instinctively, I reacted as if I were playing a video game, and everything worked out perfectly. I did a full 360 on the road and regained control exactly when I needed to keep moving straight down the road. Thank you video games.”

In a generation of "game boy racers" driving recklessly in the game, does this mean they go into automatic behind the wheel?