By Hyunjoo Jin
(Reuters) – Electric carmaker Tesla Inc will stop allowing video games to be played on its infotainment systems while its vehicles are moving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday.
The move follows an announcement by the agency on Wednesday that it had opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen.
The evaluation covers various 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y vehicles equipped with the functionality “Passenger Play.”
Tesla has informed the NHTSA that a software update will lock the “Passenger Play” feature and it will be unusable when the vehicle is in motion, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
“The NHTSA constantly assesses how manufacturers identify and safeguard against distraction hazards that may arise due to faults, misuse, or intended use of convenience technologies, including infotainment screens,” the agency said.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
