With Smart Summon, Teslas drive themselves in parking lots. California says they're not 'driverless'

Tesla unleashed the latest twist in driverless car technology last week, raising more questions about whether autonomous vehicles are outracing public officials and safety regulators. Really.” In smaller print, the company says, “The currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.” When Tesla owners download the software, they get a “what’s new” message on their infotainment screen telling them they must remain responsible for the car and monitor it at all times. If a Tesla in Smart Summon mode hits another car, or injures a pedestrian, will the driver’s insurance policy cover the costs? Asked to explain Smart Summon’s treatment under California’s driverless car rules, DMV spokesman Marty Greenstein quoted state regulations that govern “autonomous technology” that define it as “technology that has the capability to drive a vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator.” Because Smart Summon is controlled by a smartphone, he said, it doesn’t count as autonomous. “One must suspect that the system is not reliably safe or the need for human supervision wouldn’t be necessary,” David Zuby, head of vehicle research for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said about Smart Summon.