Euro NCAP has warned Tesla that the company risks no longer getting a top safety score because of its indicator switches.
Starting with the Model S and Model X updates in 2021, and now the new Model 3, Tesla has ditched the traditional paddle shifters used to activate the indicator indicators. Instead, Tesla now uses touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel.
The touch-sensitive turn signal switch buttons are causing controversy among Tesla electric car owners. Some see them as a natural evolutionary step away from analogue switches. But others see it as too radical and Euro NCAP is of the same opinion.
Europe's main organisation for crash and other vehicle safety testing has announced that it will crack down on the "overuse of touchscreen" inside vehicles. The agency said that to get a five-star rating, cars will have to have "physical controls" for "turn indicators, hazard warning lights, windscreen wipers, horn, and SOS features."
Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at Euro NCAP, commented on the new guidelines:
"The overuse of touchscreens is an industry-wide problem, with almost every vehicle-maker moving key controls onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road and raising the risk of distraction crashes."
Tesla electric cars have previously received top safety ratings from the US NHTSA and IIHS, Euro NCAP, and Australia's ANCAP.
Source: Electrek
