US regulator is investigating Tesla over video game feature

The federal government’s main auto safety regulator has opened an investigation into a feature in Teslas that allows drivers to play games on a dashboard touch screen while the car is in motion.

“This functionality, referred to as ‘Passenger Play,’ may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday in a document filed on its website.

The action comes after The New York Times reported on the safety concern this month.

The inquiry by the safety agency, which is part of the Department of Transportation, covers about 580,000 cars and SUVs from model years 2017 through 2022. The agency is separately also investigating potential flaws in the electric car company’s Autopilot system that can steer, accelerate and brake a car on its own.

“In opening this preliminary evaluation, NHTSA will evaluate the scenarios in which a driver could interact with the “Passenger Play” feature,” the agency said.

This investigation is not focused on Autopilot, but NHTSA hinted at potential concerns that drivers could play games while using that advanced driver-assistance system in the mistaken belief that the car was driving itself. Tesla instructs drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and pay attention to the road while using Autopilot.

“NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today can drive themselves,” the agency said. “Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly.”

Safety experts have criticized Tesla for not installing effective safeguards in its cars to ensure drivers keep their hands on the steering wheel and their eyes on the road while using Autopilot.

The company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have also been criticized by safety experts for promoting Autopilot and a more advanced package of services called Full Self Driving as self-driving systems. The company has allowed some owners to take to public roads to test Full Self Driving, which Tesla has said cannot in fact drive its cars on its own despite its name.

The video game feature has been available since December 2020 in some Tesla vehicles, the agency said. “Prior to this time, gameplay was enabled only when the vehicle was in park,” the agency added.

In August, Tesla provided an over-the-air update to its cars’ software that added three games that can be played while the vehicles are in motion — solitaire; a jet fighter game, Sky Force Reloaded; and The Battle of Polytopia: Moonrise, a conquest strategy game.

Vince Patton, a retiree in Lake Oswego, Oregon, filed a complaint with the safety agency through its website after buying a Tesla Model 3 this summer. He said he was able to play a solitaire game on the Model 3 while in motion.

“I’m astonished,” he told the Times. “To me, it just seems inherently dangerous.”

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