The Verge reports Tesla’s decision to “remove the gear-selector stalk from the steering wheel and automate shifting between park, reverse, neutral, and drive (PRND) does not violate any federal motor vehicle rules, a spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency told The Verge.” A video of a “new touchscreen interface that will be available in refreshed versions of Tesla’s Model S and X surfaced earlier this week.” The spokesperson said in an email, “A properly configured transmission shift control operated by means of a touch screen interface would not violate federal motor vehicle safety standards. Also, Tesla has certified compliance with all applicable safety standards. At this time, there are no known compliance concerns related to the shift control configuration.” The Verge adds, “NHTSA is already investigating over two dozen crashes involving Tesla vehicles.” Earlier this week, NHTSA “said it was sending its special crash investigation team to probe two crashes in Michigan.”
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
