Tesla will no longer allow passengers to play games on the infotainment screens of its models while they are in motion.
The car manufacturer only recently introduced Passenger Play, a function that turns the central infotainment display into a split screen where passengers can play games while the car is moving. The new feature quickly caused controversy as it could also be easily used by drivers and earlier this week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the system. Tesla has now agreed to alter the feature.
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“Following the opening of a preliminary evaluation of Tesla’s ‘Passenger Play,’ Tesla informed the agency that it is changing the functionality of this feature,” the NHTSA confirmed in a statement to The New York Times. “In a new software update, ‘Passenger Play’ will now be locked and unusable when the vehicle is in motion.”
Tesla’s Passenger Play system could only be accessed after an occupant read a safety warning and confirmed that they were a passenger. However, the system had no way of confirming that the player was indeed a passenger and not the driver and, thus, was open to abuse.
News of the system first came to light earlier this month when Tesla Model 3 owner Vince Patton filed a complaint with the NHTSA about the feature. Various games were available in Passenger Play, including Solitaire and Sky Force Reloaded.
“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including technologies that distract drivers from driving safely,” the NHTSA stated.