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Tesla pulls plug on crash-risky gameplay feature after probe Tesla pauses crash-risky gaming feature amid probe
(about 7 hours later)
Tesla is changing the settings on a feature that allows video games to be played in its cars after an official investigation was launched against the firm on reports that people played while driving. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has said Tesla will stop allowing games to be played in moving vehicles, following the announcement of an investigation by the auto safety agency.
“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. In a new software update, ‘Passenger Play’ will now be locked and unusable when the vehicle is in motion,” a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. The auto safety regulator announced this week that they were investigating a feature in Tesla cars that allows drivers to play games on a touchscreen pad while the car is in motion. 
Federal safety regulators launched an official investigation into Tesla’s ‘Passenger Play’ earlier this week, following a complaint filed in November by an anonymous Tesla owner who said drivers could play video games and browse the web while driving. The video game investigation covers more than 500,000 vehicles, Models 3,S,X, and Y. Games such as solitaire can be played on a touch screen, including in every Tesla vehicle, a feature that was highlighted in a New York Times report earlier this month.
The feature, available to Tesla owners since December 2020, was indeed designed to allow video games to be played on Tesla cars’ touchscreens in the center of the dashboard at any time. While it was intended to be played by passengers, nothing prevented drivers from playing while driving as well, official documentation disclosed this week by the NHTSA states. Also, the safety regulator said that even if the passenger was playing the game, it “[could] distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.” The NHTSA said on Thursday that Tesla will be putting forth an update so that the Passenger Play feature is disabled while vehicles are moving. The agency’s investigation, however, will continue. 
NHTSA has been stepping up efforts to lower distracted driving hazards, estimating that 3,142 people were killed in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2019. “The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including technologies that distract drivers from driving safely,” their statement read.
The regulator is also currently investigating Tesla’s self-driving features, after at least 11 accidents involving cars that used them resulted in 17 injuries and one death. All Tesla vehicles should be updated this week.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section The investigation was kicked off after a complaint said onlookers could clearly see people were able to play games in their Tesla vehicles. Its Office of Defects said later in a report that the Passenger Play feature could in fact be used while a vehicle is moving, a potential distraction they say could “increase the risk of a crash.”