WASHINGTON: US auto safety regulators said on Wednesday that they have begun a formal safety check of 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017, following the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on a front center touchscreen.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ,NHTSA) said its initial assessment includes various 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y vehicles. This functionality, referred to as “passenger play,” “may distract the driver and increase the risk of an accident,” the agency said.
NHTSA said it has “confirmed that this capability is available in vehicles equipped with Tesla ‘Passenger Play’ as of December 2020.” Previously, the game feature was “enabled only when the vehicle was in park.”
NHTSA said in a statement Wednesday that it is “committed to ensuring the highest safety standards on the nation’s roadways.”
The agency said the decision to launch the investigation was based on reports that “Tesla’s gameplay functionality is visible from the driver’s seat and can be enabled while driving.”
Governors Highway Safety Association On Wednesday it said it’s pleased with NHTSA’s Tesla safety check “and would like to remind all drivers to be alert and focused on the road when you’re behind the wheel.”
Tesla did not immediately comment.
NHTSA said it will “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and usage scenarios of the Tesla ‘Passenger Play’.”
Earlier this month, new York Times Game feature highlights, prompting NHTSA to say it was discussing its concerns with Tesla.
The agency noted earlier in December that distracted driving accounts for a significant number of road deaths in the US – 3,142 in 2019 alone. Safety advocates have said official figures underestimate the problem because not all drivers involved in crashes later admit they were distracted.
The Times said that the Tesla update includes three games – solitaire, a jet fighter and a victory strategy scenario – and added that the vehicles have a warning reading: “Play in car motion is for passengers only.”
The paper said the game feature asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger, although a driver can still play by pressing a button.
In 2013, the NHTSA issued guidelines encouraging automakers “to adopt safety and driver distraction-prevention in their design and infotainment devices in vehicles.”
“The guidelines recommend that in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by a driver to perform secondary tasks that are inherently distracting while driving,” the agency said.
The agency opened a safety investigation in August into 765,000 Tesla vehicles on its driver-assistance system Autopilot, a series of accidents involving the system and parked emergency vehicles.
The preliminary evaluation is a first step before NHTSA decides whether to upgrade an investigation to an engineering analysis, which must occur before the agency is recalled.
NHTSA said it received a complaint about the game feature in November from a Tesla Model 3 driver in Oregon who said: “It is negligently negligent to create a dangerous distraction for the driver.”
On November 29, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 US vehicles – the 2021 model year S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 – because vehicle infotainment systems “may allow television and Internet displays to be activated while driving”. which can distract the attention of the people. Driver.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ,NHTSA) said its initial assessment includes various 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y vehicles. This functionality, referred to as “passenger play,” “may distract the driver and increase the risk of an accident,” the agency said.
NHTSA said it has “confirmed that this capability is available in vehicles equipped with Tesla ‘Passenger Play’ as of December 2020.” Previously, the game feature was “enabled only when the vehicle was in park.”
NHTSA said in a statement Wednesday that it is “committed to ensuring the highest safety standards on the nation’s roadways.”
The agency said the decision to launch the investigation was based on reports that “Tesla’s gameplay functionality is visible from the driver’s seat and can be enabled while driving.”
Governors Highway Safety Association On Wednesday it said it’s pleased with NHTSA’s Tesla safety check “and would like to remind all drivers to be alert and focused on the road when you’re behind the wheel.”
Tesla did not immediately comment.
NHTSA said it will “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and usage scenarios of the Tesla ‘Passenger Play’.”
Earlier this month, new York Times Game feature highlights, prompting NHTSA to say it was discussing its concerns with Tesla.
The agency noted earlier in December that distracted driving accounts for a significant number of road deaths in the US – 3,142 in 2019 alone. Safety advocates have said official figures underestimate the problem because not all drivers involved in crashes later admit they were distracted.
The Times said that the Tesla update includes three games – solitaire, a jet fighter and a victory strategy scenario – and added that the vehicles have a warning reading: “Play in car motion is for passengers only.”
The paper said the game feature asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger, although a driver can still play by pressing a button.
In 2013, the NHTSA issued guidelines encouraging automakers “to adopt safety and driver distraction-prevention in their design and infotainment devices in vehicles.”
“The guidelines recommend that in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by a driver to perform secondary tasks that are inherently distracting while driving,” the agency said.
The agency opened a safety investigation in August into 765,000 Tesla vehicles on its driver-assistance system Autopilot, a series of accidents involving the system and parked emergency vehicles.
The preliminary evaluation is a first step before NHTSA decides whether to upgrade an investigation to an engineering analysis, which must occur before the agency is recalled.
NHTSA said it received a complaint about the game feature in November from a Tesla Model 3 driver in Oregon who said: “It is negligently negligent to create a dangerous distraction for the driver.”
On November 29, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 US vehicles – the 2021 model year S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 – because vehicle infotainment systems “may allow television and Internet displays to be activated while driving”. which can distract the attention of the people. Driver.”
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