The problem with Full Self-Driving: one Tesla is never enough

Here is the problem with Tesla's Full Self-Driving: once one person in the family has it, everybody else wants it too.

I know, because it happened in my garage.

The white Tesla came first. Within two or three weeks of riding along with Full Self-Driving, I knew I wanted one of my own. That's the black one parked next to it now. It wasn't an impulse buy. It was the most obvious decision I've made in years.

It changes how you drive, and how you feel

People ask what's so special about it. The honest answer is that it changes your life.

San Diego traffic stops being something you dread. The car handles the stop-and-go on the 5 and the 805, the merges and the lane changes, while you sit back and watch the road. You arrive at your meeting, or back home at the end of the day, with a clear head instead of a knot in your stomach. Your mind isn't worn out from an hour of fighting other drivers.

That clear head is the part nobody tells you about. You don't realize how much driving was taking out of you until something else is doing most of the work.

Then came Quicksilver

The FSD addiction took over the family. After the white car and the black car, a third Tesla joined us: the silver one, in the color Tesla calls Quicksilver, purchased by our grown daughter.

That one wasn't about convenience. It was about safety.

Our daughter is a grown woman with children of her own, and a capable driver. But no parent ever really stops worrying when their kids are on the road, especially with the grandkids in the back seat. With Full Self-Driving, she has a system watching the road in every direction at once, one that doesn't get tired, doesn't check a phone and doesn't get distracted. If you can afford it, I'd go further: ask yourself whether you can afford not to. For our family, that peace of mind is priceless.

Try it yourself

Tesla's system is called Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for a reason. The driver still has to stay alert, keep watching the road and be ready to take over, and the law still holds the driver responsible. It doesn't replace good judgment. What it does is take the strain out of driving, and that turns out to be a very big deal.

So here is my challenge to every San Diego driver who has doubts: go to a Tesla store and ask for a test drive with Full Self-Driving. Let it take you through real traffic.

I guarantee that within a few hours you'll be seriously thinking about buying one. Just don't blame me when the rest of your family wants one too.

Christopher South is the publisher of San Diego Newsline. His family owns three Teslas, and he owns Tesla stock. Tesla did not pay for or review this column.