In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that requires car manufacturers to accurately describe the capabilities and limitations of any partial driving automation technology installed in or added to their vehicles via software updates. Tesla maintains on its website that the "Full Self-Driving" features on its cars require "active driver supervision" and do not make the vehicles autonomous. The legislation specifically states that:
“(b) A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial driving automation feature, or describe any partial driving automation feature in marketing materials, using language that implies or would otherwise lead a reasonable person to believe, that the feature allows the vehicle to function as an autonomous vehicle, as defined in Section 38750, or otherwise has functionality not actually included in the feature. A violation of this subdivision shall be considered a misleading advertisement for the purposes of Section 11713.” California Senate Bill No. 1398
Previously, California had laws in place that regulated fully autonomous vehicles - those without any physical controls or a human operator. However, these regulations did not extend to the various crash-avoidance technologies, such as lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot assistance, that enhance the driving experience and improve safety, but do not make a car fully self-driving.
Tesla has faced allegations of deceptive marketing for several years. Additionally, car manufacturers often use different names for similar technologies and functions, which can be confusing for consumers. Modern vehicles are packed with numerous features that should be fully understood by buyers before they hit the road. It is crucial for drivers to be aware of the limitations of these technologies in order to use them safely.
Source: California Senate Bill No. 1398
