Tesla’s turn signal design on its newer vehicles is causing havoc in Norwegian driving schools as it lacks a stalk and is being looked at as a potential hazard among instructions, leading to the vehicles being banned from some institutions.
Tesla implemented force touch buttons on the Model S and Model X, and then eventually, the design came to the “Highland” Model 3. The design is typical of Tesla, highlighting minimalism and modernism at the same time, but it has been a polarizing topic among drivers and owners.
In its quest for self-driving, Tesla has slowly started phasing things out of the cabin. First, it implemented a smaller steering wheel, or Yoke, and then it started eliminating stalks. Now, three of the vehicles in its lineup are without the stalk, and drivers push buttons for turn signals.
However, there is a driving school in Norway, known as the Harstad Traffic School, which is run by Jåhn Hansen Øyen. Øyen was interested in a Tesla based on his colleagues’ use of the car.
However, in a new report from Electrek (via Motor), there is a major issue with the buttons, and it has to do with the use of a turn signal when exiting a roundabout.
The button is harder to access and activate than a stalk, and Øyen said that it is difficult to turn the blinker on when driving.
He said:
“I tested the Model 3 and noticed that I lost both focus and direction in roundabouts.”
Eventually, instructors saw Øyen’s findings with the Model 3 in a group for driving schools, and other instructors who also drove the vehicle felt they also had an increased risk of potential incidents when using the buttons.
The chance of a problem increased among students, who were less experienced. Teslas were then banned from several schools because of the issue.
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