After the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated a complaint about the technology, the software upgrade will disable a “feature” that allows the touch screen of Tesla cars to play video games even when the vehicle is moving middle.
This feature called “Passenger Play” will be available in Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y starting in 2020. As the name suggests, it is aimed at passengers. Before 2020, passengers in cars can only play games when the car is parked in the parking lot.
“After an initial evaluation of Tesla’s’Passenger Play’, Tesla notified the agency that it is changing the functionality of this feature. A statement from NHTSA stated that in the new software update, “Passenger Play” is now It will be locked and unusable when the vehicle is moving.
“NHTSA continually evaluates how manufacturers can identify and prevent distractions that may be caused by malfunctions, misuse, or anticipated use of convenience technologies (including infotainment screens),” the government agency’s statement continued.
This investigation [PDF]It opened on Tuesday, and its center is the claim that having a gaming function on the front center touch screen while the car is driving “may distract the driver and increase the risk of collision.”
Ya think?
The complaint that triggered the investigation was filed from Lake Oswego, Oregon on November 6th, and asked the question: “Why are manufacturers allowed to create an inherently distracting real-time video that takes up all the drivers rely on? 2/3 of the vehicle information on the screen?”
On December 7, one month after the complaint was submitted, New York Times Report Regarding the potential security risks associated with video game functions, they talked with a retiree from Lake Oswego.
Individuals have Express criticism NHTSA failed to act before the New York Times article.
Although the desire to entertain passengers, especially on long journeys, is understandable, the potentially dangerous distractions are obvious.This distraction is fatal: according to Kiefer FoundationIn the United States, distracted driving causes 10 deaths every day, and 1 in 11 fatal car accidents is fatal.according to National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationIn 2019, 3,142 people in the United States lost their lives due to distracted driving.
This is not the first time Tesla has had to deal with allegations of distracted driving. In February, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Summarize The fatal car accident of an Apple engineer driving a Tesla was due to excessive trust in the car’s Autopilot software, and the driver is likely to be playing a mobile game.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk received In the past, it has been criticized for exaggerating the self-driving technology of Tesla cars and faced litigation Based on an incident allegedly related to the company’s marketing statement, the claim was “systematic fraud.” ®
