In August 2019, the driver of a Model 3 in Germany crashed his car into an embankment while adjusting the wiper speed through the Tesla’s large infotainment screen. The motorist was issued with a fine and a one-month driving ban for the incident.
Not too happy about this, the driver decided to fight the ruling and took the case to Germany’s Higher Regional Courts. Nevertheless, the judge at the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe backed the decision of the lower court, ruling the Tesla Model 3’s touchscreen as an “electronic device” which motorists are largely prohibited from using while driving.
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“The touchscreen permanently installed in the vehicle of the Tesla brand is an electronic device within the meaning of Section 23 (1a) sentence 1 and 2 StVO, the operation of which the motor vehicle driver is only permitted under the conditions of this regulation,” the judge stated.
“It does not matter which purpose the driver pursues with the operation, and the setting of the functions required to operate the motor vehicle via the touchscreen (here: setting the wiper interval of the windshield wiper) is therefore only permitted if this is done with a short, Street, traffic, visibility and weather conditions adapted to the view of the screen while at the same time looking away from the traffic is connected.”
Dodgy translation aside, the judge ruled that a touchscreen can only be operated for a brief moment, but stated the complex windshield wiper sub-menu of the Tesla Model 3 “requires significantly more attention from the driver than when operating the wiper with the conventional fittings,” Car Throttle notes.
The thing is some media interpreted this as the court ruling that the Model 3’s wiper controls are illegal – which is definitely not the case. What the court did say is that the driver shouldn’t have diverted his attention from the road ahead to the touchscreen for long but only briefly, no matter which operation of the car this concerns.