tesla
Bulletins

Tesla will limit dashboard video games after regulator probe

The company will prohibit Passenger Play while driving.

Tesla

Tesla will limit gaming on the road.

Image: Dylan Calluy / Protocol

One day after U.S. vehicle safety regulators opened a probe into Tesla's video game capabilities, the company agreed to modify the software in its cars to prohibit people from playing video games on the dashboard screens while the car is in motion.

On Wednesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened its investigation into around 580,000 Teslas for its Passenger Play feature, which allows users to play games on its dashboard monitors, due to concerns that the feature would distract drivers and "increase the risk of a crash." Tesla told the NHTSA Thursday that it would be "changing the functionality of this feature" in its newest software update to Passenger Play while vehicles are in motion, The New York Times reported.

The probe followed a complaint by someone who realized he could play Solitaire and browse the internet on his Tesla dashboard while driving. Though players are asked to confirm that they are not driving the car if Passenger Play is enabled while in motion, no feature stops drivers from clicking through the question.

Nat Rubio-Licht

Nat Rubio-Licht is a Los Angeles-based news writer at Protocol. They graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in newspaper and online journalism in May 2020. Prior to joining the team, they worked at the Los Angeles Business Journal as a technology and aerospace reporter.

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Bulletins