Tesla’s touchscreen car controls should be treated as a distracting electronic device, according to a German court.
BBC News reports that a driver was left facing a road ban after being involved in a crash in the rain.
The Tesla vehicle he was driving automatically started its wipers – but manually controlling the speed was done through the large central touchscreen, rather than a lever on the steering wheel.
The driver was punished under the same rules as using a phone while driving.
The court decided that the Tesla’s built-in touchscreen was an electronic device under the law designed to combat mobile phone use, which also mentioned touchscreens.