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Cops Blame Driving Games For Crap Young Drivers
Denver, 6:59 AM
Mon Dec 21
18 posts in the last 24 hours
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Cops Blame Driving Games For Crap Young Drivers |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/18/08
11/18/08
Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy taught me things about high speed handling, and how different cars and drive configurations handle at extremes. TT has saved me a few times. GTA4 is really great for doing a reckless traffic slalom; I rarely get in accidents beyond side scratches in that game, and it definitely ingrains the habit of slowing and checking intersections. I like taking dates on motorbikes because if you hit anything head-on, they'll fly off, get mad and walk home so you have to be really careful. >:D
On the other hand, I see what they're saying too - game style zooming can become your normal mode of driving. I've pushed my sportbike harder than I should on occasion, but luckily I also learned how to get a feel for my limits in sims so I've always kept a safe margin of error and never gone down at speed (well... skidded from 60 down to 3kph in a corner and flopped over sideways at the curb once, haha. I locked the brakes and lost steering as a newbie. Only damage to me or the bike was a cracked signal light. In retrospect if I'd kept my speed or even accelerated I'd have made it.)
But a sim will definitely drive home the lesson of judging stopping distance, braking in a straight line, then gradually accelerating through a corner, which IMO is THE essential fundamental skill set not considering traffic laws.
11/18/08
In most of Europe:
- You must be 18.
- Lots of money so its more difficult to get ($1000+ at times).
- Lots of time, some countries requiring 20-60 classes before their test.
- Even more time, some course work stretching out to 8+ months.
- Fees, fees, fees, some countries make you pay in advance for using city streets.
- Tests are very difficult at times, Sweden requires a PASSING grade on different road conditions performed on a skid circuit.
In the states:
- Be a teenager.
11/18/08
11/18/08
Your brain isn't fully developed until age 25.
Most drivers get their license at age 17 (16 for permit) so you have another 8 years to learn how to drive before you are conditioned (um experienced).
Graphic-realism in videogames just gets more and more intense with each development. It's not like some 8-bit game, but closer to real physics (aside from you getting crushed, killed, etc..just reload/restart and go!).
I've played GTA4 and the game ENCOURAGES this behavior. When I got into my car, I had to realize, reality check! I wonder how many young drivers think they can "live forever" and disobey traffic laws for fun. "Hey cousin, let's go see some American titties!"
Sorry, argue all you like. But the psychology is there that if you already ARE a poor driver, playing driving games that don't improve your "defensive" driving will only distort your "offensive" skills.
People kill people. They just pass the blame.
(While I'm on a morning Rant, this morning this ______ was driving her SUV and braking and crossing into the other lane. When I and my passenger were passing this ____, she was texting on her blackberry! And she was old enough to know better! In my mirror, she was holding up everyone in that lane....so much for brain development...)
11/18/08
I can't speak for Australia or the U.S. as a whole, but around here the standards have dropped significantly. I saw kids get on the road that could barely pass their tests in class and eventually get their licenses, because the driver test is not hard to pass whatsoever.
It isn't games, it's the people with the entire class of 07 in their back seat while running their mouths on their cell phones with the music cranked up to ridiculous volumes.
Boy, I sound old.
11/18/08
11/18/08
You're taught driving not only on the road but in the classroom. Barely make it past the classroom portion and pass the basic, easy driving portions and you have your license.
Now, if you did badly in the classroom and still managed to squeak by, you might not know how to handle some situations. Someone could fail at avoiding an accident or even cause one. Combine this possible lack of knowledge with poor driving habits many teens have and you're asking for an accident, which in my eyes has little to nothing to do with driving games.
11/18/08
Any article that contains the phrase "police and experts say" or in fact just "experts say" is full of it. If "experts say" it why haven't they written it in a peer reviewed journal? If it has been submitted and peer reviewed then name the expert, name the source and show the evidence.
At the very least state what field the "experts" expertise is in. Is it Psychology? Videogames? Motor Racing? Car Safety?
11/18/08
As for myself as a driver, when I began playing GTA4 I was scolded by a friend for following the driving laws in Liberty City. I was in the right lane and waiting at red lights and everything without even realizing it.
So I guess, I'm saying that as far as I'm concerned, this guy is full of crap.
11/18/08
11/18/08