NHTSA ends probe into Tesla permitting video video games whereas automobiles are transferring

DETROIT — U.S. freeway security regulators have closed an investigation into Tesla permitting video video games to be performed on middle contact screens whereas automobiles are transferring.

The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration says in paperwork posted Tuesday that Tesla disabled the characteristic referred to as “passenger play” with an internet software program replace in December of 2021, underneath strain from the company.

The company mentioned in paperwork that eradicating “passenger play” resolved its considerations about distracted driving that could possibly be brought on by the characteristic.

The software program replace lined greater than 580,000 automobiles from the 2017 via 2022 mannequin years.

One month after software program replace went out, Tesla reported that 97% of the automobiles had obtained it.

The company mentioned it opened the investigation in December of 2021 after getting a criticism from a Tesla proprietor that video games could possibly be performed by the driving force whereas the automobiles are transferring. The investigation was opened to evaluate the driving force distraction potential.

It says in paperwork that introducing graphic content material into the driving force’s line of sight that’s unrelated to driving “poses the potential so as to add to driver visible and cognitive distraction.”

Tesla had responded that the characteristic was designed for passenger use solely, and that the design did not create an unreasonable driver distraction danger. The corporate mentioned no collisions had been reported whereas the characteristic was in use for a yr.

NHTSA wrote in paperwork that knowledge obtained from Tesla confirmed that throughout the yr “passenger play” was working, it was lively throughout a small variety of car journeys. The company did not say what number of journeys, however wrote that in a couple of third of these journeys, the characteristic was used whereas the automobiles had been transferring with nobody within the passenger seat.

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