Do you think that drivers are worse today than they were, say ten years ago?

I do. And I know who is to blame.

It's the computer gaming industry. Games like Gran Turismo (that's a screen shot from the original Play Station version above) and other driving simulators have created a generation of drivers who are out of touch with the realities of the road. The games reward rude, aggressive drivers who weave in and out of traffic, leaving havoc in their wake. The consequence of a miscalculation in the gaming environment is a spin out or a crash, after which the car remarkably bounces back on the road again, ready to race once more.

Here in Los Angeles, I see drivers on the road who obviously see the freeway as a racetrack. They drive with no regard to their own safety, and with even less regard for the safety of other drivers on the road. Forget about signaling, or passing on the left. These gamers will ride on your tail like they're drafting you at Talladega, risking life and limb for a minute advantage in traffic. At the same time that school budgets are being slashed and driver education takes a back seat at the public institutions, the influence of video simulators increases.

Do you agree? Or am I just becoming a cranky old guy in my middle age?