The large touch screen in the Tesla Model 3, which replaces most of the controls, has become an interesting controversy. But the judge was uncompromising.
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The German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport drew attention to an interesting story of the German driver Tesla Model 3, which began to be written in March last year. When the driver adjusted the wipers via the central touch screen of the Model 3, he lost control of the car, drove off the road and headed for an alley of trees.
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A few months after the incident, the consequences of which we unfortunately do not know for Tesla, the driver went to court, where he was fined 200 euros (approximately 2,256 CZK) and lost his driver’s license for a month due to illegal use of electronic equipment. However, the driver did not like this and embarked on a legal battle, which was eventually (probably) concluded by a recent ruling of the higher court.
Tesla’s driver justified his accident by being distracted by wiper control. However, according to Auto Motor Und Sport, the Higher Regional Court in Karlsruhe should have concluded that the touch screen in Tesla electric cars is an electronic device covered by section 23 of the Local Road Code, regardless of what the driver is doing with it.
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Tesla’s driver was supposed to try to reverse the court’s verdict by arguing that the display also shows a tachometer, so it should be considered more of a “safety control panel”. However, the court rejected this argument, as it takes more than a quick glance for the driver to select one of the offered options after selecting the wiper icon. The court also added that the driver could have prevented the accident if he had taken the necessary measures in good time.
The whole dispute seems a bit absurd. Anyone who is at least a little familiar with the controls of the Tesla Model 3 must have at least a little understanding for the driver. At the same time, however, the question arises, how much time did the driver actually spend looking at the settings that he managed to crash with the car?
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As the TheDrive website, which pointed out the controversial dispute, points out, the Tesla Model 3, like most conventional cars, is equipped with a classic analog wiper control on the left lever behind the wheel. So if the driver was caught in a heavy downpour, he could first safely secure a view from the car and only then could he focus on further wiper adjustment. If you do not know how the wiper system in Tesla Model 3 works, then we can recommend the following video.
But this dispute is also interesting on another level. It deepens the discussion on the extent to which the control of large touch screens in our cars can be considered as (illegal) manipulation of electronic devices and how safe / dangerous it is to integrate an increasing number of functions into touch screens.
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