Gamers Better at Driving w/ Cell Phones?

sl4shd0rk writes "A lot of people think talking on the cell phone while driving is natural, but each time someone asks a question or changes the subject, it's like taking on a new task, Psychologists who study multi-tasking have argued for years about whether these "information bottlenecks" occur because people are inherently lazy, or because they have a fundamental inability to switch from one task to another. Mei-Ching Lien, an assistant professor of psychology at Oregon State University. "Even with a seemingly simple task, structural cognitive limitations can prevent you from efficiently switching to a new task." I have to say that the best ones are those who play a lot of video games," she pointed out. "Those are lab studies, however, and not driving tests." " All I know is that I could get where I was going better if I could shoot turtles at others on the highway.

It's okay, officer . . .

[Anonymous Coward]

. . . I play Quake. Wonder if this works for drunk driving, too :).

Mushroom

[Anonymous Coward]

Well i know i used a mushroom to get into this pole position

Vindication!

[mwilliamson]

Woohoo, I knew this skill would come in handy someday ;-)

Shooting turtles

[sucker_muts]

All I know is that I could get where I was going better if I could shoot turtles at others on the highway.

Sure, but then the other cars will slow down or spin at your oil patches. :-D

(For the people who wonder: Mario kart! [mariokart.com])

That's because the average person has no skills

[cfavader]

That's because the average person has no skills.

Most gamers on the other hand have like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills, etc...

Having such a large repertoire of skills, over the years gamers have had to learn better multitasking skills out of necessity (unless, of course, you have a sweet bike or a mustache).

Re:Well??

[UnderDark]

I'll just say that it's normal to embrace enthusiastically any message that tells you you're better than most other people.

Wohoo! I'm normal now!

Re:Well??

[Hal_Porter]

Yeah, it reminds me of a joke about ultra male English drivers.

I break the speed limit, tailgate and drive after 3 pints. But it's ok, because I'm a good driver with a very fast car.

Testosterone poisoning I call it.

Stupid console fans

[SmallFurryCreature]

Now I tuned my car to the max stripping all the boring bits off like roof, lights etc and powerslide my way around corners at 200 miles per hour (grand prix legends) but do you think that is tolerated? NOooooo. I guess the police here is still pissed they had to give up their porches and take it out on anyone who think the speed limit is meant to be a minimum.

Arg

[pimpman]

Give me an FPS and I'll headshot you with freakish reaction time. Give me a car and cell phone and I will kill your dog.

Bravo

[YrWrstNtmr]

Sign I'm putting on the back of my truck:

"If your mommy talks on the phone while she's driving
She doesn't love you very much"

Re:It's fun actually!

[Meagermanx]

50/50 isn't really accurate. It varies depending on your Dexterity modifiers.

The frame rate

[ScottCooperDotNet]

There's a difference between games and real life.

The frame rate is so much better!

Re:It's fun actually!

[Anonymous Coward]

thats why I always use my loaded d20 for my driving rolls

Re:Natural? No.

[cdrdude]

Here's my theory:

Rodent: 1/2 of a point.
Pedestrian: 1 point (additional 1 point if he is on the sidewalk).
Biker: 3 points (again, additional point if he is on the sidewalk).
Moped: 10 points.
Motor scooter: 30 points (those things are seriously annoying).
Motorcycle: 10 points.
Me: 10,000 points

All values are multiplied by two if you are using a mortorcycle.

Re:WTF

[geminidomino]

So if you drive an automatic, then you don't need that second hand.

Re:WTF

[syukton]

So, what is your solution then ? Prevent most people from driving ?

Sounds good to me. Fewer cars on the roads mean less congested streets, fewer opportunities for accidents, and less pollution overall. Everyone wins, except the whiny bitches that won't get to drive because they're incompetent. Sucks to be them. Another potential upside is raising the speed limits on the highways because the lowest common denominator of skill would be significantly higher than it is now.

Should I be allowed to drive while intoxicated on the condition that I pass my driving-test while under the same intoxication ? I'm pretty convinced I'd manage fine to drink say 2 liters of beer and pass the current driving-test, I'm *not* convinced that mean I (and others) should be allowed to do so.

This would require re-tuning the test in order to test the hard skills that driving relies upon such as response-time and hand-eye coordination, but I largely think it's a good idea. If you can drive competently and react rapidly enough to pass a quick-response driving test with a BAC of 0.15%, why should you be fined and/or arrested for blowing a 0.08%? There should be something on your license that indicates your own personal legal BAC limit, instead of restricting all people by an arbitrary amount.

Given today's new fancy technology, a breathalyzer could have a slot where you insert a driver's license which reads the mag-stripe containing BAC limit information (amongst other things). If the driver blows a BAC higher than the limit established on their license's mag-stripe, then they fail the test. You could even integrate the system into the automobile, using the driver's license and a breath from the driver as a dual-key system to start the car.

Re:You've never drove my mother around.

[vertinox]

Yes, but a passenger is MUCH more likely to alert you of an impending danger(they can see where you are, and of course don't want to die) than a person on a cell phone.

Mom: *screams blood curtling cry* Look out!
Me: *slams on brakes* WHAT??!! *cars honking angry as they pass*
Mom: Oh he didn't pull out in front of us. Sorry.
Me: Well... He would have had to run a red light from a complete stop!