California to ban self-driving Tesla ads

The law that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed will go into effect in 2023. It will make it illegal to advertise cars as self-driving if they still need a driver to watch over them. The upcoming ban on self-driving car ads doesn't mention Tesla by name, but it was made in response to the fight between the DMV and Elon Musk's car company. State Senator Lena Gonzalez of Long Beach is upset that the California Department of Motor Vehicles' warnings about marketing Tesla's electric cars as "full self-driving" hasn't led to any legal consequences. So she has proposed a new law that would ban the practice. It has already been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom and will go into effect as soon as the New Year starts. It is part of a group of laws that will go into effect in 2023. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Picture Credit: Autoweek[/caption] This bill would require a dealer or manufacturer who sells a new passenger vehicle with a partially automated driving feature, as defined, or who provides a software update or vehicle upgrade that adds a partially automated driving feature to give the buyer or owner a notice that explains how these features work and what they can't do. Any violation of these rules would be called an infraction and would be punished. The bill would also make it illegal for a manufacturer or dealer to name or market these features in a way that is misleading, as described. https://www.gadgetany.com/news/teslas-self-driving-mode-allegedly-responsible-for-eight-car-pile-up-in-california/ Even though the law doesn't mention Tesla by name, the DMV got into a fight over how its $15,000 FSD Beta feature was described as "self-driving." At one point, it asked for a dealer license and plates to be suspended. Then, Tesla's representatives met with the DMV. During these meetings, Tesla's lawyers came up with the famous phrase "mere failure to realize a long-term, aspirational goal is not fraud." They told the DMV that this was not true. When Tesla cars are in accidents, they are sometimes entered into an NHTSA database because Autopilot or FSD Beta may have been engaged. However, a federal investigation into the matter, which is also starting in California, is still in the discovery phase, and Tesla is not likely to be charged in the near future. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Picture Credit: San Francisco Chronicle[/caption] In a recent eight-car crash on the San Francisco Bay Bridge, for example, a Model S driver said that their Tesla FSD system suddenly started braking while they were changing lanes at will. However, the authorities could not find any evidence that the autonomous driving system had broken down. Sometimes, drunk drivers have blamed their crashes on Autopilot, but they have since admitted that they were at fault.