纽约（美国有线电视新闻网）特斯拉周四改变了方向，将不再允许在其汽车的触摸屏上播放视频游戏，因为联邦安全监管机构对该功能进行了调查。
美国国家公路交通安全管理局发言人周四晚间发表声明说：“在对特斯拉的‘乘客游戏'进行初步评估后，特斯拉通知该机构，它正在改变这一功能的功能。” “在新的软件更新中，‘Passenger Play'现在将在车辆行驶时被锁定且无法使用。”
NHTSA 周三披露的调查文件称，这项名为“Passenger Play”的功能自 2020 年 12 月以来一直可供司机使用。游戏显示在仪表板中央的大触摸屏上。根据与调查相关的文件，虽然这个名字暗示它是供乘客玩的，但没有什么能阻止司机在汽车行驶时玩耍。
NHTSA 的调查文件称，在 2020 年 12 月之前，只有在车辆停放时才能启用游戏玩法。根据 NHTSA 的说法，即使游戏是由乘客而不是司机玩的，它也“可能会分散司机的注意力并增加撞车的风险”。
周四，在特斯拉同意改变比赛设置之前，该机构的调查引起了媒体的广泛报道。
“NHTSA 不断评估制造商如何识别和防止因故障、误用或预期使用便利技术（包括信息娱乐屏幕）而可能引起的分心危险，”该机构表示。
特斯拉一直致力于提供驾驶员辅助功能，使其汽车可以在没有驾驶员主动参与的情况下减速、加速甚至改变车道。
该公司警告说，使用此类功能（称为“自动驾驶仪”和“FSD”）进行全自动驾驶的驾驶员必须保持警惕并把手放在方向盘上。但特斯拉因让司机更容易注意力不集中，以及涉及自动驾驶模式汽车的多起撞车事故而受到批评。
NHTSA 目前正在调查特斯拉至少 11 起事故，这些事故涉及使用 Autopilot 或其他自动驾驶功能的汽车在到达较早的事故现场时与紧急车辆相撞。据该机构称，这 11 起事故造成 17 人受伤和 1 人死亡。
美国监管机构强调分心驾驶是美国道路上的主要安全隐患。 NHTSA 估计，2019 年有 3,142 人在涉及分心司机的事故中丧生。
乘客游戏调查是在一位身份不明的特斯拉车主于 11 月提出投诉后开始的。投诉称，该功能允许在汽车行驶时玩视频游戏和浏览网页。
“据称这些视频游戏仅限乘客使用。任何人都可以随时浏览网页，”投诉称。 “为什么允许制造商创建一个固有的分散注意力的实时视频，它占据了驾驶员所依赖的所有车辆信息屏幕的 2/3？NHTSA 需要禁止前排座椅上的所有实时视频和所有实时交互式网络浏览，同时汽车在行驶。让司机分心是一种鲁莽的疏忽。”
很少回应媒体提问的特斯拉 (TSLA) 没有回应有关调查或视频游戏功能的置评请求。
Tesla to pull plug on letting drivers play video games after federal investigation
New York (CNN Business)Tesla reversed course Thursday and will no longer allow video games to be played on its cars' touchscreens when they are in motion, bowing to an investigation of the feature by federal safety regulators.
"Following the opening of a preliminary evaluation of Tesla's 'Passenger Play,' Tesla informed the agency that it is changing the functionality of this feature," said a statement from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson late Thursday. "In a new software update, 'Passenger Play' will now be locked and unusable when the vehicle is in motion."
The documentation for the investigation, disclosed Wednesday by the NHTSA, said the feature, known as "Passenger Play," has been available to drivers since December 2020. The games appear on the large touchscreen in the center of the dashboard. While the name suggests it is intended to be played by passengers, nothing prevented drivers from playing while the car is being driven, according to the documentation associated with the investigation.
Prior to December 2020, gameplay was enabled only when the vehicle was in park, the NHTSA investigation document said. Even if the game is being played by a passenger and not the driver, it "may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash," according to NHTSA.
The agency's investigation generated widespread media coverage on Thursday ahead of Tesla's agreement to change the games' settings.
"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 has been pushing the envelope in providing driver assist features that allow its cars to slow down, speed up, and even change lanes without active participation from the driver.
The company cautions that drivers using such features, known as "Autopilot" and "FSD," for full-self driving, must stay alert and keep their hands on the wheel. But Tesla has been criticized for making it easier for drivers to not pay attention, as well as for a number of crashes involving cars in Autopilot mode.
The NHTSA is currently investigating Tesla for at least 11 accidents involving cars using its Autopilot or other self-driving features that collided with emergency vehicles when coming upon the scene of an earlier crash. Those 11 accidents were responsible for 17 injuries and one death, according to the agency.
US regulators are highlighting distracted driving as a major safety hazard on American roads. NHTSA estimates that 3,142 people were killed in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2019.
The Passenger Play probe started following a complaint filed in November by an unidentified Tesla owner. The complaint said that the feature allows video game play and web browsing while the car is being driven.
"The video games are allegedly restricted only to passengers. Web browsing is available to anyone at any time," said the complaint. "Why is a manufacturer allowed to create an inherently distracting live video which takes over 2/3 of the screen which the driver relies on for all vehicle information? NHTSA needs to prohibit all live video in the front seat and all live interactive web browsing while the car is in motion. Creating a dangerous distraction for the driver is recklessly negligent."
Tesla (TSLA), which rarely responds to questions from the media, did not respond to a request for comment on the probe or the video game feature.
