Top Gear, Hollywood and video games blamed for dangerous driving

A Government-backed report claims that the BBC2 series Top Gear encourages young drivers to break speed limits.

The report, compiled by Co-operative Insurance, accuses Top Gear, Hollywood film The Fast and the Furious, and driving video games such as PlayStation franchise Gran Turismo for creating a "cachet of excitement and glamour around speeding."

A survey of 3,000 drivers discovered three out of four drivers admitting to speeding regularly. Teenage drivers performed worst, where only 17 per cent said that they had never exceeded the speed limit, compared to half of older drivers.

The report emphasised the modern glorification of speed, which has markedly increased since cars first became affordable in the 1950s.

"Games, TV and films have fuelled the increase in speeding," said David Neave of Co-operative Insurance.

"The Fast And The Furious and Top Gear are devoted to speeding and targeted at a younger audience who are more likely to be encouraged to speed."

In reply to the accusation that Top Gear promoted speeding, a BBC spokesperson said:

"To say that Top Gear is all about fast cars, is devoted to speeding and targets a younger audience is simply not true. Top Gear in no way condones exceeding the speed limit.

"To truly test 'supercars,' they have to be driven to their limits. These tests are done under tightly controlled conditions on a private track, with the full assistance of health and safety."

Patrick Steen