A federal safety regulator has disclosed that Tesla has agreed to modify a software in its cars that will prevent drivers and passengers from playing video games on the dashboard screens while the vehicle is in motion.
The agreement comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a formal investigation of the game feature, which is known as ‘Passenger Play’. The investigation was announced after earlier reports revealed the potential safety risks the game feature posed. It is worth mentioning that the investigation covers about 580,000 cars and sport utility vehicles from model years 2017 through 2022.
The safety agency in a statement said: “Following the opening of a preliminary evaluation of Tesla’s Passenger Play, Tesla informed the agency that it is changing the functionality of this feature. In a new software update, Passenger Play will now be locked and unusable when the vehicle is in motion”.
Safety experts had criticized Tesla for allowing the games to be accessible while cars are in motion. The Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety, Jason Levine, said: “There is no argument that can be made that this isn’t dangerous”.
Meanwhile, the federal safety agency is examining other potential safety issues with Teslas. In August, it opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s autopilot system, after cars using the feature crashed into parked fire trucks, police cars, and other emergency vehicles at least 11 times. The Autopilot system can accelerate and brake a car on its own. Those accidents resulted in one death and several serious injuries.
In addition, the safety agency is also reviewing more than two dozen other accidents involving Teslas operating on Autopilot. The agency revealed that eight of those crashes resulted in a total of 10 deaths since the first occurred in 2016.
While the video game feature is not directly linked to the Autopilot issues, the safety agency suggested it was worried that Tesla drivers could play games while using Autopilot in the mistaken belief that “the car was driving itself” and that they need not pay attention to the road.
Per reports from the safety agency, the company instructs drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and pay attention to the road while using Autopilot. However, it does little to monitor drivers, and there is mounting evidence that some drivers routinely ignore its advice and warnings.
Tesla has been adding video games to its cars for several years. Most can be played only when the car is in park. But earlier this year, it remotely updated the software of its cars to make available three games that could be played on the large touch screens mounted in the center of the cars.
The games were solitaire; a jet fighter game, Sky Force Reloaded; a conquest strategy game, the Battle of Polytopia; Moonrise. A warning appears before the solitaire game starts notes: “Solitaire is a game for everyone, but playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers”.
Players were asked to confirm that they were not driving the car, but nothing prevented drivers from clicking through that screen and play the games, according to the safety agency.
“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including technologies that distract drivers from driving safely”.
Safety agency
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