Friday December 24th 2021
Deficiency due to security risk
Tesla bans video games in moving cars
Playing a game of solitaire while driving your car to work: it’s possible for Tesla owners. However, the traffic authority is critical of this and initiates an investigation; now the company is giving in. The function is to be blocked in the future when the car is in motion.
Play video games on the vehicle monitor while driving – Tesla’s “Passenger Play” function makes it possible. However, not only the front passenger can activate the function, but also the person behind the wheel. The US Department of Transportation raised concerns this week and opened an investigation because that could affect safety. Now the automaker is reacting and wants to block the games in the future when the vehicle is in motion, as reported by the Washington Post.
“Tesla has informed the authority that it will change the functionality of this app,” said Lucia Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the transport authority. This should be done through a software update. “The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects that pose an unreasonable safety risk,” Sanchez told the newspaper. This also includes technologies that distract the driver from safe driving. In conjunction with automated driving, the games could tempt the driver to take their eyes off the road.
Although the company announced changes, the agency wants to continue the investigation, the Washington Post said. Around 580,000 vehicles are affected. Other systems from the manufacturer, such as the autopilot, are also under observation.