Keep your eyes on the road – how one Tesla owner spotted a potential safety risk

The company’s Passenger Play feature allows games to be played on a touchscreen while the car is in motion, writes Chris Stevenson

Vince Patton, a new Tesla owner, demonstrates how he can play video games on the vehicle’s console while driving (AP)

I’ve always been fascinated by the amount of technology that goes into vehicles. As such, a story about one of Tesla’s latest changes caught my attention.

The company’s Passenger Play feature, which was never intended for the driver, allows games to be played on a touchscreen while the car is in motion. Passenger Play was, at first, only usable when the car was stationary, but this was changed in December 2020. Users still had to confirm they were the passenger to use it.

The change was noticed by a Tesla owner, Vince Patton, who filed a complaint with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS). The NHTS opened an investigation, which noted the Passenger Play feature “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash”.

Although the Elon Musk-founded company has made no formal comment on the matter, the NHTS said they have been contacted by the company, which stated that a software update would disable the feature while driving.

To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter by clicking here

It does seem that common sense has prevailed. Distractions are one of the last things you want for a driver (even with a passenger using the feature). Music may be one thing – and I wouldn’t go on a long journey without a good selection – but I know that it would take some serious self-control not to at least glance at a Passenger Play screen if it was being used.

In relation to that, I’ve had plenty of correspondence from readers about travelling at Christmas – a time when plenty of people will be taking car journeys to visit family (Covid test results permitting). I’d love to hear about the habits from passengers in the car (or other drivers) that you find most annoying – I’m sure plenty of a similar nature will crop up!

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Premium editor