CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
"
LEARNER drivers who play games such as Grand Theft Auto are more likely to pass their driving test first time round – but also to have an accident in the first year, research shows.
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http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/grand-theft-accident-for-new-drivers-1-3356547
Another example of a study which doesn't actually prove anything, and another example of EEN reporting which doesn't bother to find out some relevant facts. How many people took part in the study? And what percentage of the total driving public in that age range does the sample represent?
It got the insurance company's name in the papers, and associated with a popular yoof culture meme, which I guess was the whole point of the exercise. Cheaper and more effectively targetted than buying ad space.
If you Google it you get this:
Gamers likely to pass driving test first time, and then crash | Auto ...
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk › Car news
3 days ago - Privilege car insurance surveyed 1,419 drivers aged between 18 ... and Xbox include Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto and Forza Motorport. ... The research was conducted to examine current learner driver ...
But that's all I get to see. Clicking the link tells me I'm not authorised. A sample of over 1400 isn't too shabby and I'm assuming the age range doesn't go too high.
@ Instography
Googling the line "Privelege car insurance... between 18" brought up the Motor Trade Insurance Facebook page , handily with the full article!:
"Gamers likely to pass driving test first time, and then crash
Playing driving games could help you pass your driving test but also increases your chance of having an accident in year one
2014-03-25 14:15
Gamers might be find it easier to pass their driving tests the first time, but new research suggests they’re also more likely to be involved in an accident in the first year of driving.
Privilege car insurance surveyed 1,419 drivers aged between 18 – 50 and found that 73 per cent of those who regularly played driving games passed their driving tests on the first go. That’s 15 per cent higher than the average for all drivers, but 77 per cent of these gamers admitted to having an accident within one year of passing.
Charlotte Fielding, Privilege’s head of car insurance, said: “Our research shows that simulated driving experiences gives learners increased confidence on the road. However, the figure for new driver accidents for gamers is worryingly high, suggesting over-confidence can lead to mistakes. Managing a car and being a responsible driver is not a game and accidents in the real world can have serious consequences."
Driving games breed confidence in learners
Popular driving games on consoles like the Playstation and Xbox include Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto and Forza Motorport. Around 17 per cent of those aged 18 – 24 said they drew plenty of pre-test confidence from playing video games like these.
Female drivers drew more confidence through proper preparation and 62 per cent said they felt more positive about passing this way, whilst 53 per cent of men felt that doing their homework built confidence.
The research was conducted to examine current learner driver attitudes and behaviour and found that 52 per cent of men overall were more likely to pass their driving tests on the first attempt compared to 42 per cent of women.
Around 25 per cent of women took three or more attempts to pass, but more men (24 per cent) than women (18 per cent) reported an accident in their first year.
Do you think video games provide adequate preparation for a driving test? Can playing a game really help you pass in the real world? Let us know in the comments below… And don't forget to check out our list of the best driving games for 2014.
Alex Yau"
I'm not exactly confident that playing driving games where the consequences of crashing or killing other people are absolutely zero in real life are a great way to become a good road driver.
On the other hand, I found (as a non-driver) that years of playing formula 1 games led to me being a veru competent kart driver when I took part in a meeting at Knockhill some time ago. The benefit to me was I had learned how to cyt a corner with only a small patch of tyre still on the track. At Knockhill there is/was a corner where the tarmac dropped away several inches between track and grass. I could go round that corner with about a quarter of my tyre on the track and the rest of it in limbo, whilst everyone else was far more cautious.
So yes, for racing, video games could be a useful experience but we don't want people racing on our roads and maybe that's where a number of the 'accidents' are coming from.
That's nice.
Confirms your earlier point. The 77% of the 73% is roughly 50% so half of regular gamers who had passed first time had had an accident in their first year. Is this high?
Who knows but if I had to choose between some dodgy mugging (marketing under the guise of) research by an insurance company and research by the Transport Research Laboratory for the Department for Transport (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8030080/Drivers-who-pass-test-first-time-safer.html), I'll go with TRL and DfT.
I'm sure the 15 thing is just a coinceedinx.
I'm not exactly confident that playing driving games where the consequences of crashing or killing other people are absolutely zero in real life are a great way to become a good road driver.
Yes, it improves motor skills, but lowers maturity and responsibility. (And, probably, empathy.)
Unfortunately, the driving test only measures the motor skills.
I don't know if there is a way to reliably and fairly test for the other qualities within a driving test... and, given the legal system's unwillingness to take away driving licenses, the roads are likely to get increasingly dangerous.
I'm not exactly confident that playing driving games where the consequences of crashing or killing other people are absolutely zero in real life are a great way to become a good road driver.
I'd wager that exactly the same skills that are required to play these sort of games are the skills required to be a good driver.
Hand eye coordination, motor skills, reaction speed, an ability to absorb a lot of information simultaneously.
Crashing and killing people in grand theft auto has in-game consequences - admittedly not huge compared to the real life consequences, but they are enough to make them things to avoid at certain times.
I find the suggestion that playing violent games lowers maturity or empathy slightly strange as I just don't think it rings true - certainly no more than it does for tv, novels, printed type or anything else that has previously been considered to be harmful.
Interesting what people think does transfer from the format of gaming to skills in the wider world and what they think doesn't. I would guess hand eye co-ordination easier to transfer than reduced empathy. however I wouldn't base anything on the insurance company's research.
In my real life I am currently interested in transfer from a kind of gaming format (computer memory games) to the educational context. Currently in RCT research there is no transfer - training in the memory games makes the pupils better at the memory games but not better at remembering in their schoolwork.
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