When Tesla expanded its Robotaxi service to highways in Austin, Texas, it also moved its human supervisors from the passenger seat to the driver's seat.
This decision aligns with a new Texas law governing autonomous driving systems in the state.
As Electrek reported, Texas Senate Bill 2807 went into effect Sept. 1, introducing stricter oversight for self-driving cars and safety data reporting.
Under the new law, Tesla can continue operating its Robotaxis without achieving the highest autonomous safety standards.
There has been widespread support of Tesla's decision to have a human supervisor in the driver's seat for enhanced control in the event of an autonomous mishap.
Tesla Robotaxis' "Supervised Full Self-Driving" system is only rated a Level 2 because it hasn't proved reliable over tens of thousands of miles. Therefore, a human is still required.
To achieve Level 4 or 5 of autonomous driving, an automaker would need to demonstrate minimal risks in case of failure and prove that no human oversight is necessary.
Tesla's decision to modify its robotaxi service may be influenced by the implementation of the new Texas law and the heightened safety risks associated with driving on both highways, not just low-speed surface streets.
Even with human supervisors moving to the driver's seat, self-driving vehicles remain highly controversial. Despite ongoing developments and improvements, self-driving cars have been blamed for reckless driving and disturbing accidents.
However, even if you don't fully trust or embrace self-driving technology yet, owning and driving an electric vehicle is among the safest and most sustainable forms of personal transportation.
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Meanwhile, many people are pleased to see human supervisors in the driver's seats of Tesla Robotaxis, at least for now.
"When it rains and traveling at highway speeds, I have had one or more cameras flash on-screen warnings the vision is obscured," one Electrek reader commented on the news. "No one has explained to me what Unsupervised FSD will do when no one is behind the wheel at 70/80 MPH and the cameras can't see."
"If this trajectory continues, they will be issuing taxi medallions soon and require only cash payment," another reader shared.
Someone else wrote, "So, a Robotaxi is a taxi, driven by a human, for robots? I get it now."
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