Tesla Is Under Investigation For Letting Drivers Play Games

An investigation into Tesla has been opened for allowing people to play games while driving.

As reported by LA Times, the car company is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration following a complaint to the agency that owners can play games while the vehicle is moving. According to the agency and a new document posted to its website, the feature called "Passenger Play" could distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.

In the same document, the agency's Office of Defects Investigation said that the Tesla feature has been present in the vehicles since December 2020, but before that date games could only be played while the car was in park. The investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will "evaluate the driver distraction potential of Tesla ‘Passenger Play’ while the vehicle is being driven.”

A Tesla owner by the name of Vince Patton, filed the initial complaint last month, and tested the features himself. Patton discovered that he could play a game called Sky Force Reloaded, as well as Solitaire. He also found that he could browse the internet while driving as well.

“NHTSA needs to prohibit all live video in the front seat and all live interactive web browsing while the car is in motion,” Patton said in his complaint to the agency. “Creating a dangerous distraction for the driver is recklessly negligent.”

Tesla's Arcade Mode allows owners to select from a collection of games to choose from, including Cuphead, Stardew Valley, The Battle of Polytopia, Beach Buggy Racing 2, Cat Quest, Chess, and more. Owners can also play games with a controller as well as use the touch screen.