Elon Musk's Tesla is now under investigation by federal safety regulators for an entertainment feature that allows those inside the EV to play video games while the car is in motion. With that, the concerns are that this feature will enable drivers to play these video games while their car is already in motion.
NHTSA Investigating Tesla for Its Passenger Play Feature
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration document refers to the feature as "Passenger Play" that has been in most Tesla cars ever since 2020.
The games seem playable on the dashboard screen and are originally intended for passengers.
However, nothing prevents drivers from playing the games as well while they are driving as per the documentation that is associated with the NHTSA investigation. Before 2020, the gameplay was only enabled whenever the EVs were in the park, as per the document.
Autopilot and FSD Feature to be Used with Caution
According to the story by CNN, the NHTSA stated that despite the game being played by passengers and not drivers, this could still distract the driver and thus increase the risk of them crashing. To expand, Tesla has been trying to provide additional driver assistance features allowing its EVs to slow down, speed up, and even switch lanes without the help of driver's active participation.
These features are known as Autopilot and FSD, but the company cautions that drivers using these features for full-self driving should still stay alert and keep their hands on the wheel. Despite its efforts, Tesla has still been criticized for providing ways that make not paying attention much easier. Besides, there have also been many crashes involving the Tesla Autopilot mode.
Tesla Under Investigation for 11 Accidents Involving Autopilot
As of the moment, the NHTSA is investigating Tesla for at least 11 accidents that involved the Autopilot or other self-driving features that collided with emergency vehicles when they came onto the scene of an earlier crash.
The 11 accidents were reportedly responsible for a total of 17 injuries as well as one death. With that, the U.S. regulators highlighted distracted drivers as what was referred to as a "major safety hazard" on roads in America.
3,142 People Killed in 2019 Due to Distracted Drivers
The NHTSA stated that they estimate that 3,142 people were killed in accidents that involved distracted drivers back in 2019. Furthermore, the Passenger Play probe follows a complaint filed by an unidentified Tesla owner back in November.
As per the complaint, the feature allows video gameplay as well as web browsing even while the car is being driven. The complaint said the permitted feature video gameplay and web browsing while driving the car. As per the complaint, although video games remain restricted to passengers, web browsing can still be accessed at any time.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
