Elon Musk Says Tesla FSD Lets You Text and Drive – But Cops and Crash Data Say No

Elon Musk posted on X that Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software, version 14.2.1, now allows drivers to text depending on the context of surrounding traffic. He confirmed this after a user noticed no warning flashed while using a phone. But FSD remains a Level 2 driver-assist system, not full autonomy, so the driver stays fully responsible.

One Reporter’s Test Drive

A Business Insider reporter tested it on a 2024 Model 3 in Silicon Valley. Starting from a driveway on a sunny afternoon, FSD handled a seven-minute trip to a salon through narrow residential streets with parked cars and a trash truck. The reporter texted colleagues via Slack the whole time – “I’m typing this as I’m being driven by FSD” – and the car only nagged once for steering wheel pressure before continuing. It parked without issues. On the return, texting the reporter’s wife got no reply. Smart move.

Law Enforcement Weighs In

Police agencies disagree. Reps from Arizona, New York, and Illinois told another Business Insider piece there’s zero exception for ADAS like FSD. Texting while holding a phone stays illegal everywhere except emergencies like calling 911. Arizona’s Department of Public Safety put it bluntly: no carve-outs for wireless devices. Nearly all 50 states ban texting, per U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data cited by TechCrunch, echoed by Geo News. A cop spotting your phone won’t check your software version.

Electrek notes Tesla just loosened its cabin camera monitoring – the “nag” for eyes off-road – in spots like stop-and-go traffic. That disables warnings but doesn’t touch state laws or driver liability.

Safety Issues Pile Up

FSD uses cameras and wheel sensors to check attention, but drivers must grab control if needed – a handover that factors into many crashes. Regulators tally over a dozen fatal Autopilot crashes. NHTSA now probes FSD for 50+ red-light runs or wrong-lane drifts, plus low-visibility wrecks, as TechCrunch reports. California’s DMV wants Tesla’s sales halted for misleading FSD marketing as self-driving.

Hands-off was added after initial wheel-touch rules, breeding complacency – Musk admitted this himself before.
Five ignored nags suspend FSD access, but relaxed rules invite more distraction.
Electrek calls it a convenience tweak, not autonomy progress, risking eyes-off complacency in a supervised system.

Hype Meets Reality

Musk teased this a month ago at a shareholder meeting, eyeing safety stats. Yet Tesla won’t claim Level 3 liability where they handle the wheel. No other automakers license FSD, and skeptics like Jalopnik warn of worst-case scenarios. New camera hints question current hardware for unsupervised driving. One smooth test doesn’t erase probes, laws, or the “Supervised” label. Texting might fly at a red light, but one glitch means you’re cooked – legally and literally.