Elon Musk is testing new safety features on his Tesla cars, including parental controls that limit speed and introduce a “curfew mode.”
The entrepreneur is deciding whether mothers and fathers who own a Tesla should be able to control how fast their children drive and when.
A test update has included restrictions on acceleration and speed and will ensure the features cannot be disabled.
Another feature being tested is a notification that will alert parents if their children drive their Tesla after dark.
These measures are being considered because Teslas can accelerate much faster than other brands of vehicles.
Elon Musk tests parental controls on his Teslas, limiting speed and introducing a curfew
Controls will be implemented through a PIN-based device that will be given to parents to prevent children from turning them off.
In 2018, an 18-year-old was killed while driving a Tesla at 116 mph in a 30 mph zone in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Barrett Riley went to a Tesla shop and asked the mechanics to remove a speed-limiting device his father had installed.
Tesla has since made its own speed-limiting device, which it named in memory of Mr. Riley after his father sued for compensation.
New safety measures will prevent teenage drivers from changing car restrictions imposed by their parents.
In so-called “cold mode”, the car’s maximum acceleration will be reduced and a PIN code function will ensure that warnings about speed, emergency braking and collisions cannot be deactivated.
Teslas can accelerate faster than other cars and are popular with younger drivers.
While ‘curfew mode’ will give parents the option to prevent the car from being driven during certain hours.
Since 2021, Tesla drivers have been asking for features similar to those suggested now.
One driver, who is part of an online forum for Tesla owners, suggested a “teen mode.”
He wrote on the Tesla Motors Club forum: “I am a first time vehicle owner. When I get this vehicle, my 18 and 16 year old kids will be begging me to let them drive it.”
‘At some point I’ll probably leave them.’
Since 2021, Tesla drivers have been asking for features similar to those suggested now.
Tesla currently has a “valet mode” that limits speed and disables autonomous driving.
The push for new safety measures comes as statistics show that 21% of all fatal or serious injuries caused by car accidents in 2022 involved young people aged between 17 and 24.
Speaking to The TimesSteve Cole, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RSPA), said: “We are all about protecting our young drivers and believe technology has huge potential to help us do that.
“However, safety should not be limited to users of a specific type of vehicle. For young drivers in particular, the RSPA would like to see a graduated licensing system introduced, which would support young drivers by limiting high-risk driving situations – a measure that has been shown to reduce fatalities by up to 40 per cent.”
If successful, the measures as part of the ‘2024.26’ software update will be introduced more generally.
