US auto safety regulators said they have opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker’s decision to allow games on the front center touchscreen.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSAsaid its preliminary assessment covers several Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y vehicles from 2017 to 2022. This functionality, called “Passenger Play”, “can distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash“Said the agency.
The NHTSA said that “confirmed that this capability is available from December 2020 on Tesla vehicles equipped with ‘Passenger Play’”. Before, the game function “was enabled only when the vehicle was parked”.
The NHTSA stated that “evaluate aspects of the feature, including frequency and usage scenarios of Tesla’s ‘Passenger Play’”. The company had no immediate comment.
Earlier in the month, The New York Times highlighted the gaming feature, prompting NHTSA to say it was in talks with Tesla about it.
The agency noted earlier this month that distractions behind the wheel account for a significant number of deaths on US roads: 3,142 in 2019 alone. Safety advocates have said official figures underestimate the problem because not all drivers involved in accidents later admit they were distracted.
The Times said the Tesla update added three games – solitaire, a fighter jet and a strategy of conquest scenario – and said the vehicles have warnings that read: “Playing while the car is in motion is for passengers only”.
The newspaper reported that the gaming feature asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger, although a driver could continue playing simply by pressing a button.
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