> I don't understand how something this broken is allowed to operate on public roads.
Legislators are slow and ignorant about technology. There's also perception that everyone who dies on a Tesla accident is a tech bro who defeated software safeguards (e.g., chose to ride on the back seat in full self-driving mode).
If automotive history is any guide, scrutiny and regulation only appear after a lot of people get killed. It's not obvious what the threshold will be, with Elon Musk being louder than anyone else in this debate and early adopters being comfortable experimenting with the lives of others.