NHTSA’s open investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles equipped with video games – Safety
This Tesla Model S is just one of 580,000 Tesla vehicles that allow video games on the central front screen, which many safety advocates see as promoting driver distraction. .
Image courtesy of Tesla.
According to Reuters.
The preliminary assessment includes different 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y vehicles.
More than 3,100 people lost their lives to distracted driving in 2019. However, Tesla has really put “distractions” first and center for drivers with video games that can engage people. The driver takes his eyes off the wheel.
Known as “Passenger Play,” the series of console-mounted games “can distract drivers and increase the risk of collisions,” warned NHTSA.
The ability for divers to play games while the vehicle is in motion has been available since December 2020. Before that date, drivers and passengers can only participate in Tesla-provided video games while the vehicle is parked.
NHTSA said it would “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and usage scenarios of Tesla’s ‘Passenger Play’,” as reported by Reuters.
In the first day of this month, New York Times reports that the Tesla update has added three games – Solitaire, a jet fighter, and a strategic conquest scenario – and says that the vehicles have a warning: “Play while the vehicle is in motion” for passengers only.”
The game feature requires confirmation that the player is a passenger, but even so, the driver can still play simply by pressing a button, according to Time report.
In 2013, NHTSA issued guidance encouraging automakers to “incorporate driver safety and distraction into their designs and adopt in-vehicle infotainment devices.” .”
According to NHTSA, the guidelines specifically recommend that in-vehicle devices be designed so that “drivers cannot use them to perform side tasks that are distracting while driving.”
In August, NHTSA opened a safety investigation into 765,000 Tesla vehicles about the driver assistance system, Autopilot, following a series of crashes involving the system and parked emergency vehicles.
Preliminary assessment is the first step before NHTSA decides whether to upgrade a probe to technical analysis, which must take place before the agency can request a recall.
