Tesla will authorize what France formally prohibits: sending SMS while driving

Elon Musk made more sensational announcements Thursday evening during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, promising, in particular, to soon allow owners to send text messages while driving. The manager affirms that the company will be “almost comfortable” with this practice thanks to the FSD autonomous driving system. “Tesla will allow unsupervised driving which will allow texting while driving within a month or two”he declared.

Elon Musk validates text messages while driving his Tesla “within two months” without legal consultation

This promise immediately raises the question of its legal feasibility, particularly in Europe. Musk did not mention any regulatory steps, no discussions with road safety authorities. In France, the Highway Code strictly prohibits the use of the telephone while driving, including to send messages, even with a hands-free device. This ban is accompanied by a fine of one hundred and thirty-five euros, a withdrawal of three points on the license and, in the event of aggravating circumstances or an accident, a suspension of up to three years.

For such a functionality to become legal, three cumulative conditions would be necessary: ​​a minimum level 4 autonomous driving certification, a substantial modification of the French and European legislative framework, and exhaustive validation of the safety systems by the competent authorities. Currently, no vehicle is authorized to circulate in France without active driver supervision on open roads.

But that’s not all: the technological transition promised by Musk involves a considerable leap. Tesla vehicles currently only offer level 2 autonomy, which requires constant attention. The transition to level 4, where the vehicle takes on all the tasks without human interventionusually requires years of development, testing and regulatory validation.

Musk’s promise likely concerns the American market, where regulations vary by state and are sometimes more accommodating towards technological experimentation. Even across the Atlantic, several states maintain strict requirements regarding driver attention.
The leader remains famous for his optimistic timetables that are rarely respected, adding an additional layer of uncertainty to these announcements.

Let us remember that the shareholders present also validated a compensation package of up to a trillion dollars over ten yearsconditional on the achievement of ambitious objectives including a valuation of eight thousand five hundred billion dollars.