Tesla Model Y’s new feature lands driver in hot water from police officer

Tesla Model Y received a slew of both interior and exterior upgrades when the company refreshed its best-selling vehicle last year.

However, one of the more notable changes from an exterior perspective landed a driver in hot water with a local police officer, who was confused about the situation with the taillight bar and its ability to alert other drivers of a reduction in speed.

The new Tesla Model Y taillight with taillight glow

A Tesla Model Y owner in Indiana recently noted in a Facebook post that he was pulled over because a police officer thought the vehicle’s taillights were not turned on. However, the Model Y’s new rear light bar, which spans across the entire width of the vehicle, is more than visible in both light and dark conditions.

The incident, which was first spotted by Tesla Oracle, brings to light the interesting changes and perception of vehicle design that Tesla has brought forth with the new Model Y. We know some things might be head-scratching to some drivers, notably the Matrix Headlight technology present on the car, but this one truly baffled us.

The post stated:

“Just got pulled over for my tail lights not being “on” i told the officer it’s brand new. It has 1100 miles. I told him the red light bar is the taillight. The brake lights, both turn signals, and the red bar was on/worked. He told me that where the brake lights are, it should be illuminated there also. He gave me a warning and told me to get it fixed. Had anyone else had this kind of issue?”

Having the police officer tell a driver to “get it fixed” when it is a completely legal and functional design is pretty crazy.

However, the rear taillight bar, which glows and really gives the new Model Y a distinct difference between its previous iteration, is more than recognizable as a brake light and an indication of a reduction in speed.

Regulatory language for vehicle designs indicates that the light has to reach a certain number of lumens, or brightness. Lars Moravy indicated this on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage when he and Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen explained some of the details of the new Model Y.

This issue sparks some interesting dialogue people can have about vehicle design, and as more and more companies are adopting these futuristic looks, it seems law enforcement will have to get with the times and familiarize themselves with the regulations regarding exterior lights.

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