NHTSA is Questioning Tesla Over Gaming While Driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is not done with Tesla yet. After opening an investigation into its Autopilot driver assistance system following a series of crashes, the U.S. regulator is now discussing with the EV maker about an over-the-air software update that was sent to most of its vehicles this summer.
Why? Because the update added video games that let drivers play on the touchscreen even when the vehicle is in motion, as reported by the New York Times on Tuesday.
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"Distraction-affected crashes are a concern, particularly in vehicles equipped with an array of convenience technologies such as entertainment screens. We are aware of driver concerns and are discussing the feature with the manufacturer," the NHTSA said in a statement provided to Reuters.
Tesla has yet to respond publicly.
The NYT article noted that Tesla does have a warning that says: "Playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers." And there’s a button asking for confirmation that the player is a passenger. However, it’s just as easy for the driver to press the button and play a game.
This, of course, goes against the NHTSA’s 2013 guidelines recommending that “in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform inherently distracting secondary tasks while driving." Makes perfect sense, right?
The NHTSA will likely have to decide over the next few weeks if it requires Tesla to make adjustments to prevent any form of gaming or entertainment when the vehicle is not parked, as other automakers do.
