[AutonomousVehicles] elon musk says you can text and drive using tesla fsd but you shouldn't

[Cornelius Butler]

Elon Musk says Tesla drivers can text while driving, but they absolutely
should not

Article Link:
https://www.theverge.com/transportation/838901/elon-musk-tesla-fsd-text-while-drive
Article Text:

by Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs,
public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York
Daily News and City & State.

I can’t believe I have to say this, but Tesla drivers should not start
texting while driving, despite what Elon Musk says. Do not listen to the
billionaire CEO of the company that makes your car. He will not be liable
if there’s a crash — you will.

Musk took a break from posting racist and xenophobic screeds yesterday to
confirm that the latest version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software would
allow for some instances of texting while driving, despite it being
incredibly unsafe and illegal in 49 states, Washington, DC, and the US
territories. (Montana, wyd?) “Depending on context of surrounding traffic,
yes,” Musk replied to the question of whether FSD v14.2.1 would allow the
illegal behavior.

But just to repeat: do not do this. You will not only be risking your life,
but the lives of everyone around you.


For months now, Musk has been promising an “unsupervised” version of
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software that he claims will enable drivers to,
among other things, use their phones while driving. The current version of
FSD is a Level 2 “supervised” system, meaning drivers are required to stay
focused on the road and be ready to take control of the vehicle when
prompted. (In other words, not full self-driving.) For years, Musk has been
hyping a moment when Tesla’s vehicles will actually drive themselves — no
supervision required.

Last month, at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, Musk said that an
upcoming FSD update, Version 14, would finally allow for unsupervised
driving. “And now with version 14, we’re actually getting to the point
where we almost feel comfortable allowing people to text and drive,” Musk
said at the event. “Which is kind of the killer app, because that’s really
what people want to do.”

Currently, Tesla vehicles have in-cabin cameras that track drivers’ eye
movement. If a driver’s attention wanders while using FSD, the cameras will
notice and the system will alert them to put their eyes back on the road.
If they don’t, the system can disengage. Five strikes can result in a
suspension of FSD. Tesla owners have long complained about these “nags” and
urged Musk to reduce their frequency.

Musk’s comment yesterday suggests that he’s listening and that Tesla could
relax the requirements in certain situations, like stop-and-go traffic. But
this doesn’t change the legal reality, in which texting while driving is
strictly prohibited.

Imagine a cop pulls you over after catching you texting while driving your
Tesla. Do you think “Elon Musk said it was OK” is going to get you off the
hook? And God forbid there’s a crash, do you think Tesla will take
responsibility?

I get it — FSD can be very capable. Many Tesla fans are amazed at what
their car can do, and fully believe Musk when he says that real autonomy is
just around the corner. But the fact remains that the driver — and only the
driver — is liable for anything that happens while Autopilot and FSD are in
operation. Unlike Waymo, Tesla won’t take responsibility for any incidents
because it knows its vehicles aren’t fully autonomous. Why would it take
responsibility for a Level 2 system? When Tesla owners have tried to force
the company to accept liability for certain incidents, it has fought back
in court — and often won.

Don’t be stupid. Don’t listen to Elon Musk. Watch the road.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your
personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

Andrew J. Hawkins
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/autonomousvehicles_nfbnet.org/attachments/20251205/1483fd9b/attachment.htm>