Tesla under scanner for allowing playing video games while the car moves
Electric car major Tesla has come again under the scanner of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This time, NHTSA is scrutinizing the automaker for allowing video games to be played while its cars move. The US agency on Wednesday said that it is reviewing a recent software update by the automaker that allows drivers to play video games on the infotainment screen while the vehicle is moving.
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NHTSA said that it is aware of driver concerns and is discussing the feature with Tesla. “The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with design defects posing unreasonable risks to safety," the agency further said in an official statement.
This development comes after The New York Times reported earlier this week on concerns raised by safety advocates about three video games that Tesla drivers or passengers could play on the in-dash touch screen. Such a feature can distract the driver from the road ahead and result in a disastrous mishap, which could risk the lives of the driver along with other car occupants as well.
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NHTSA recommends that in-vehicle devices should be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform inherently distracting secondary tasks while driving. Distracted driving is one of the major reasons behind fatal accidents on roads. This also causes several deaths in road accidents every year. Hence, such a feature that allows the driver or occupants to play games on the in-car infotainment system could result in serious mishaps.
This is not the first time, Tesla has made headlines for the wrong reasons. In the recent past, Tesla's famous semi-autonomous driving system Autopilot has made several headlines for being involved in accidents. The technology has been claimed faulty by many Tesla drivers.
