Tesla scrutinised for allowing video games to be played while its cars are moving

People issue alarm about distraction in-vehicle gaming brings to driving

Vince Patton, a new Tesla owner, demonstrates on a closed course how he can play video games on the vehicle's console while driving. AP

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said it is reviewing a recent software update by Tesla that allows drivers to play video games on a dashboard screen while the vehicle is moving.

“We are aware of driver concerns and are discussing the feature with the manufacturer,” the NHTSA said in a statement.

“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with design defects posing unreasonable risks to safety.”

The New York Times reported this week on concerns raised by safety advocates about three video games — including solitaire — that drivers or passengers could play on the in-dash touchscreen.

The agency recommends that in-vehicle devices “be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform inherently distracting secondary tasks while driving”, it said.

“For all other visual-manual secondary tasks, the NHTSA guidelines specify a test method to evaluate whether a task interferes with driver attention, rendering it unsuitable for a driver to perform while driving,” the agency said.

“If a task does not meet the acceptance criteria, the NHTSA guidelines recommend that the task be made inaccessible for performance by the driver while driving.”

Distracted driving claimed 3,142 lives in 2019, the agency reported.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jason Levine, executive director of the Centre for Auto Safety, which lobbies for more stringent car safety rules, said “it should go without saying that enabling drivers to play or be distracted by video games while operating a multi-tonne vehicle at highway speeds is exceedingly dangerous".

“[The agency] should move quickly from suggesting guidelines to enforcing the law against unreasonable risks to safety and Tesla should stop playing with the lives of their owners and anyone else sharing the road with these vehicles,” he said.