Elon Musk just dropped a bombshell that's sending shockwaves through automotive safety circles. The Tesla CEO confirmed Thursday that the latest Full Self-Driving update allows drivers to text while driving - despite texting behind the wheel being illegal in nearly every state. This controversial feature represents a dramatic shift in how autonomous driving systems interact with existing traffic laws.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just ignited a legal firestorm by confirming that drivers can now text while using the company's Full Self-Driving software. The announcement came via Musk's typical channel - an X post Thursday - responding to a user who noticed the latest FSD update no longer flashed warnings when using a phone while driving.
"Depending on context of surrounding traffic," Musk wrote, offering no additional details about how the system determines when texting is supposedly safe. The casual revelation has immediately thrust Tesla into conflict with state laws across America, where texting while driving is banned in nearly all 50 states.
The timing couldn't be worse for Tesla. Federal safety regulators are already breathing down the company's neck over FSD's performance. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating the software after discovering more than 50 reports of vehicles running red lights or crossing into wrong lanes. NHTSA is simultaneously probing FSD for crashes in low-visibility conditions.
Here's the critical disconnect: despite its name, FSD remains a driver-assistance system, not true autonomy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, around half of all states have made any handheld phone usage while driving illegal, with texting bans covering nearly the entire country. Tesla's own documentation warns drivers to keep hands on the wheel even with FSD engaged, making them legally liable for violations.
The system relies on cabin cameras and steering wheel sensors to monitor driver attentiveness - technology that apparently now green-lights phone usage under certain traffic conditions. But this creates a dangerous paradox: if drivers need to be ready to take control when FSD encounters situations it can't handle, how can they simultaneously be trusted to text safely?
