National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 due to the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Thursday that Tesla Inc will no longer allow video games to be played on vehicle screens while the vehicles are in motion.
The move comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Wednesday that it had opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 due to the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.
According to the NHTSA, this feature, known as “Passenger Play,” may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash. Tesla has informed the NHTSA that a software upgrade will disable the “Passenger Play” feature while the vehicle is in motion, according to a statement from the agency.
“The NHTSA is continually evaluating how manufacturers detect and mitigate against distracting concerns that may develop as a result of malfunctions, misuse, or intended usage of convenience technology, including infotainment screens,” according to the agency.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters right away.
Drivers may not pay attention to the road, according to safety advocates, especially when Tesla vehicles are in semi-autonomous mode, known as Autopilot.
According to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, one of the reasons for a fatal crash of a Tesla car operating in Autopilot in California in 2018 was a driver’s distraction – most likely from a phone gaming application.
After a spate of collisions involving the Autopilot system and parked emergency vehicles, the NHTSA initiated a safety investigation into 765,000 Tesla vehicles in August.
