US safety body fears ‘passenger play’ feature could distract the driver and lead to crashes
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal investigation into Tesla after it was alerted to the fact that the car-maker’s infotainment system allowed games to be played on the move.
According to the safety body, Tesla’s Passenger Play facility allows games to be played on the centre touch-screen while on the move – something that could potentially distract the driver and lead to a crash.
Said to be available on MY2017-2022 versions of the Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model X and Model Y, more than 580,000 cars on US roads are said to be potentially subject to the new safety probe.
NHTSA said Tesla originally introduced the gaming element to its infotainment system as something that could only be played when the vehicle was in Park.
Then, in December 2020, a software update is believed to have unlocked the Tesla Passenger Play-equipped cars to be used at speed.
The NHTSA investigation follows a New York Times story that exposed Tesla drivers playing games while on the move.
In 2019, 3142 road deaths in the US were attributed to distracted driving. That figure is believed to be only a drop in the ocean, however, as many drivers involved in a collision are reluctant to disclose whether they were distracted before the event.
Despite warnings that playing games on the move is for passengers only, drivers have admitted to playing solitaire, a jet fighter sim and even a conquest strategy game.
Before playing, a button asks the user to confirm that they are a passenger, but most drivers simply press it before unlawfully entering the game.
Commenting on the New York Times piece, a Tesla spokesman said that it would “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and use scenarios of Tesla Passenger Play”.
Issuing a statement that the investigation was in progress, NHTSA said that it wanted to “remind all drivers to be alert and focused on the road when you’re behind the wheel”.
As far back as 2013, NHTSA issued guidelines for car-makers in the US that aimed to reduce infotainment systems from distracting the driver.
As part of its advice to designers and engineers, the US safety body recommended that “in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform inherently distracting secondary tasks while driving”.
Only last August NHTSA opened another safety investigation into Tesla over concerns that its Autopilot driver assist tech was responsible for a series of crashes involving stationary emergency vehicles while on scene attending crashes on the highway.
That probe is said to involve as many as 765,000 Tesla EVs.
If found to be at fault in both cases, the US car-maker could be forced to issue a recall that could see both Autopilot and Passenger Play gaming banned until modifications are carried out, with subsequent fines expected to be issued.
And it’s not just Tesla in hot water over distracted driving. The latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQS are also currently under investigation after it was found that both the TV and internet could be used on the move.
Keyword: Tesla in hot water over in-car gaming