Drivers can get fined if they are caught using their phone while driving, not to mention if you try and play a video game in the driver’s seat. Tesla’s in-car gaming console has gone over the edge in the past few weeks. A YouTube video shows that Tesla drivers can play video games while driving as long as they confirm their identity as passengers, which can be done with simple tap. Last year, Tesla built a video game and user interface team in Austin, Texas, the goal being to incorporate as many video games as possible into the in-car gaming console. However, these video games were originally intended to be playable only when the car is parked. Tesla, on the other hand, allows the driver to play video games after showing a warning that only passengers can play these games.
Two weeks ago, we wrote that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was speaking with Tesla regarding this issue. Now, Reuter has reported that NHTSA has launched an official investigation of Tesla’s in-car gaming feature.
“U.S. auto safety regulators said Wednesday they have opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017, over the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its preliminary evaluation covers 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 a crash,” the agency said.
NHTSA also said that it has confirmed the capability of playing while driving has been available since December 2020. Before then, the game feature was “enabled only when the vehicle was in Park”. NHTSA claimed that it would “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and use scenarios of Tesla ‘Passenger Play’.”