Are video gamers better drivers?

Fresh research has confirmed that video gamers might be better drivers in real life but they’re also more likely to break rules.

It’s a controversial theory that’s been around for as long as Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario Kart, but according to the latest findings from a study conducted by Auto Trader in the UK, gamers are less likely to have penalty points on their licence, compared to drivers who don't regularly play video games.

They are also much more confident in their driving skills. In fact, of the 1000 respondents (half gamers, half non-gamers) 41 per cent of gamers rate themselves as ‘excellent’ drivers, while just 13 per cent of non-gamers gave themselves the same rating.

That’s likely because more than half of the gamers surveyed (56 per cent) said they believe their virtual driving has positively impacted their real driving skills, particularly when it comes to reaction times and spatial awareness.

It’s also backed by numbers, which found ‘non-gamers’ are more likely to have received penalties and fines for dangerous driving, since acquiring their licence.

Just 15 per cent of gamers said they’d been penalised, compared to 28 per cent of non-gamers.

But while gamers might fancy themselves as pretty good drivers, the study found the same group is more likely to be caught using a mobile phone when driving, compared to non-gamers, and interestingly, speeding penalties were more common amongst non-gamers.

According to the research, 85 per cent of non-gamers admitted to having gained points on their licence for speeding, compared to 71 per cent of gamers having the same.

What do you think? We’ll post a poll on the carsales Instagram page and you can have your say.