Media is asking whether the video game Need for Speed is to blame for a crash in Canada that left a 46-year-old taxi driver dead and two teens in jail.
According to 24 Hours Vancouver, Tahir Khan was killed the day before he was to become a Canadian citizen when his taxi found itself in the middle of a street race between two teens driving high-end cars.
The Scarborough man was making a left turn at about 10:20 p.m. when one of two Mercedes Benzes, racing at speeds as high as 140 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, according to witnesses struck his cab, driving it into a telephone pole, police said.
The crash killed Khan instantly, making a widow of his wife in Pakistan, where she has lived since he immigrated to Canada in 2000.
The suspects were driving a silver 1999 Mercedes C23 and a black 2006 Mercedes. The video game Need for Speed was found on the front seat of the car that hit the cab, said Toronto Police Det. Paul Lobsinger. It's believed the suspects had played the game before they hit the streets, added Det. Nick Sklar.
Ninety-nine percent of the gamers understand it is just a game and not real life where you can press a button and hit re-set if you crash," said Lobsinger. "Here we have, in real life, two guys driving high-end cars at a high rate of speed in an urban area" - similar to the way the game is played, he alleged.
24 Hours Vancouver
To the question of whether Need for Speed is to blame, I give an emphatic no. The crash, no doubt, was horrific and senseless. The fact Mr. Khan’s life was cut short is inexcusable, so please let’s not try to diminish the loss by blaming a game.
The teens involved were both 18. They’re alleged to have been driving nearly three times the posted limit. They are old enough to know better and old enough to understand there could be consequences for their actions – serious consequences.
If the young men did what is alleged, they should be held accountable for their actions. Don’t blame a video game for the crime and belittle the great loss the Khan family has suffered by making excuses for the alleged perpetrators.
Video games do not kill people. Television shows do not kill people. Movies do not kill people. People who choose to act thoughtlessly, impulsively, maliciously or just plain stupidly do.
Related:
Need For Speed: Most Wanted Coming in November
Need For Speed Underground 2 Takes Flight On DS
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