Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal investigation into the Passenger Play feature of the Tesla Arcade app available in over 580,000 cars.
The 2021.12.25.6 update released earlier this month for Tesla Arcade allows users to play games while a person drives a car.
Though Tesla Arcade has been available since mid-2019, the feature was previously available only when a car was parked.
The recent update asks a user to confirm if he or she is a passenger before the start of a game while a car is in motion.
Though a game can be played by a passenger, it could cause a distraction for the drivers of Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y autos.
While driving, an automobilist can get distracted by playing a game or by watching someone else play.
A driver, Vince Patton, filed a complaint with NHTSA, according to an article in The New York Times (archive). “I only did it for like five seconds and then turned it off,” said Patton. “I’m astonished. To me, it just seems inherently dangerous.” He played three games while driving: Solitaire, Sky Force Reloaded, and The Battle of Polytopia: Moonrise.
Tesla still continues to be under investigation due to the Autopilot feature.
[Sources]: NHTSA: U.S. Department of Transportation – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: ODI Resume. Subject: Tesla Passenger Play (PDF) – [Archive]. NBC News: U.S. regulator opens probe into 580,000 Tesla vehicles over game feature – [Archive].
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