What else would people be using it for? It's a "drive my car for me while I send this text" mode that allows you to take your attention off the road every few seconds. Otherwise, the system makes no sense at all.

Once you're engrossed in your phone, you're not taking attention off the road for a 'few seconds'. You're essentially letting autopilot drive for you. Which Tesla explicitly says you're not supposed to do.

Agreed.

I see people attempting that on the roads around here without the Tesla. That is why I always honk at cell phone drivers. Sometimes I wish I had a fully-charged Marx bank in the trunk.

It should be illegal. It is in many countries.

It is in New York.

Proponents keep touting this as the real benefit of self-driving cars, so it's hardly surprising that some people have taken them at their word and not realised that the car is not, in fact, truly autonomous and may drop out at any moment.

or not drop out and drive you into a barrier

It's not a joke. I was in a bus crossing the Bay Bridge a few weeks ago. I was watching a Tesla driver play on his phone. He didn't look up once in the span where I had visibility (about half of the bridge).

I have seen pictures of iPads strapped to steering wheel in Nissan Altimas, so yes people are really this dumb. Airbag issues entirely aside.

Oh god. Imagine the last thing you see before dying is your candy crush score propelled at your face at 200 mph.

Years ago I saw someone reading a book while driving...