Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that the latest version of the company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software allows drivers to text while driving in certain traffic situations, despite such behavior being illegal in most U.S. states.
Musk made the comment on his social media platform X after a user observed that the newest FSD update no longer issued warnings when the driver used a phone. Musk replied that the software permits it “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”
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Nearly all 50 U.S. states ban texting while driving, and about half prohibit any handheld phone use, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Tesla did not provide further technical details, and Musk did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Despite its name, Full Self-Driving is a driver-assistance system, not a fully autonomous technology. The system requires drivers to remain alert and ready to take control using in-cabin cameras and steering wheel monitoring.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating Tesla’s FSD software following reports of vehicles running red lights, entering wrong lanes, and being involved in crashes in poor visibility. Regulators have also linked Autopilot, Tesla’s standard system, to more than a dozen fatal crashes.
Tesla is also nearing the end of a legal case with the California Department of Motor Vehicles over allegations that it misled customers about its vehicles’ self-driving capabilities. A ruling is expected later this year.
