Dumb Safety score

[T3M3T]

So I play with the safety score simulator. You still get 100 even you have 20% unsafe following. But if you have 1% of hard braking, the score will drop down to 98. Forward collision is not a big factor either. Bottom line is it does not like you brake too hard!

 

[MY1stEV]

Pro tip: running red lights and hitting pedestrians who dart out in front of you will prevent hard braking demerits and not count against your safety score.

 

[Traveling7543]

The hard breaking metric was easily the most frustrating for me. Way too sensitive IMO, and doesn’t account for when you may need to break quicker because someone else around you executes an unsafe maneuver, which happens all the time in busy cities.

It wouldn’t be a terrible metric if they measured hard breaking to mean that you’re regularly slamming the breaks or constantly decelerating rapidly, but as it’s currently measured, even letting regen kick in too quickly will trigger a hard breaking event.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I get dinged for hard braking without actually braking hard, or barely using the brake at all. My 2018 S doesn’t have automatic brake hold so I still need to use the brake to stop completely. I’ve opted out of FSD Beta for now because I’m not getting it anytime soon, and I refuse to drive unnaturally just to boost my score.

 

[srs5694]

Pro tip: running red lights and hitting pedestrians who dart out in front of you will prevent hard braking demerits and not count against your safety score.

Hitting a pedestrian, or especially another car, because you run a red light, will cause deceleration, which would cause a demerit on your Safety Score. Plus which, if your car is totaled and/or you're in jail, you won't be able to "enjoy" the experience of babysitting FSD-on-city-streets as it fails to slow down for construction crews, misses turns, takes the turns it doesn't miss very jerkily, etc.

In other words: Stop sweating it. The current FSD beta is not worth getting excited about -- at least, not from the perspective of somebody who wants a useful feature. (It is an impressive technology, but it's not yet a useful feature.) The Safety Score is an imperfect, but pragmatic, way for Tesla to control the expansion of the FSD beta program. Tesla owners should NOT get too invested in managing our Safety Scores. I honestly wish that Tesla hadn't made those scores public, because, IMHO, too many people are paying too much attention to them and using them to game their driving styles in ways that often degrade, rather than improve, safety.

 

[Radlaw]

This Safety Score system is ridiculous. For example, if I'm on the freeway and someone jumps in front of me and I jam on the brakes for safety to keep from hitting the car, I'm penalized for 1) forward collision warning, 2) hard braking & 3) unsafe following all because I was trying to be safe, thereby lowering my score because of someone else's bad driving. There are other indicators that might give a better indication of safe driving e.g. using turn signals appropriately, not speeding more than 10 mph over the posted limit, not going through yellow-red lights and more. These can all be measured by the Tesla's system. Come on Tesla, you can do better.

 

[JulienW]

This Safety Score system is ridiculous. For example, if I'm on the freeway and someone jumps in front of me and I jam on the brakes for safety to keep from hitting the car, I'm penalized for 1) forward collision warning, 2) hard braking & 3) unsafe following all because I was trying to be safe, thereby lowering my score because of someone else's bad driving. There are other indicators that might give a better indication of safe driving e.g. using turn signals appropriately, not speeding more than 10 mph over the posted limit, not going through yellow-red lights and more. These can all be measured by the Tesla's system. Come on Tesla, you can do better.

You should be using AP anytime you are on the freeway. Manually driving on any urban freeway all but insures you will get a lower score.

The Safety Score isn't so much about safe driving as it is about preparing you to keep a carful eye on everything FSD is doing or not doing. And "controlling" and managing your Safety Score offers Tesla proof that you will go the extra mile to control FSD Beta.

 

[Radlaw]

You should be using AP anytime you are on the freeway. Manually driving on any urban freeway all but insures you will get a lower score.

The Safety Score isn't so much about safe driving as it is about preparing you to keep a carful eye on everything FSD is doing or not doing. And "controlling" and managing your Safety Score offers Tesla proof that you will go the extra mile to control FSD Beta.

The issue is not what one SHOULD do, but a hypothetical example of the fallacy within the Safety Score system as it is now.

 

[EVRider-FL]

The Safety Score isn't so much about safe driving as it is about preparing you to keep a carful eye on everything FSD is doing or not doing. And "controlling" and managing your Safety Score offers Tesla proof that you will go the extra mile to control FSD Beta.

I don’t think how you drive is a measure of how well you’ll monitor FSD Beta. The only relevant aspect of the Safety Score is getting booted from Autopilot, which indicates you weren’t paying attention. Nevertheless, it is what it is.

 

[PDX-Y]

The Safety Score isn't so much about safe driving as it is about preparing you to keep a carful eye on everything FSD is doing or not doing.

Per Tesla, the feature was designed originally to enable automated insurance rates, and the weights in the model were derived using actual accident data. While it's being cleverly used to rate-limit the FSD rollout, that's definitely not what it's "about". It's about predicting how expensive your vehicle is going to be to cover, statistically.

I think people complaining about this are probably not thinking through. It's absolutely true that you can brake hard or take an aggressive turn without being unsafe. But people who reliably approach intersections fast or swing hard into traffic are more likely to get into accidents when they (inevitably) make mistakes. Cautious drivers who slow way down before the light or creep out around a turn are less likely to be surprised (because they have more time to see things) and less likely to hit the obstacles they fail to notice (because they have more time to correct).

 

[Radlaw]

Per Tesla, the feature was designed originally to enable automated insurance rates, and the weights in the model were derived using actual accident data. While it's being cleverly used to rate-limit the FSD rollout, that's definitely not what it's "about". It's about predicting how expensive your vehicle is going to be to cover, statistically.

I think people complaining about this are probably not thinking through. It's absolutely true that you can brake hard or take an aggressive turn without being unsafe. But people who reliably approach intersections fast or swing hard into traffic are more likely to get into accidents when they (inevitably) make mistakes. Cautious drivers who slow way down before the light or creep out around a turn are less likely to be surprised (because they have more time to see things) and less likely to hit the obstacles they fail to notice (because they have more time to correct).

That's all well and good. However, Teala's using the score to determine who gets the FSD upgrade. Currently, they are limiting it to those who score 99-100. No matter how "safe" I drive, I can't get above 96. And I cautiously watch all the indicators. I'd love to see how whoever gets 99-100 they drive. Maybe i can learn something. I do realize that since this program began, I drive better, but I can't control how others drive which ultimately affect my score.

 

[PDX-Y]

No matter how "safe" I drive, I can't get above 96.

I have a 98, no exploits needed beyond standard adaptations like "use AP on highways" and "leave lots of space". There were 12k 99+ scores with FSD as of last week, probably more now. Someone's able to do this, clearly.

But even granting your point that this is impossible absent a virtuosic ability to game the system: isn't that the population (people with a OCD-like focus on figuring the system's quirks out and a demonstrated ability to control their vehicle successfully within the game's rules) exactly who Tesla wants to have testing its beta autonomy product?

I mean, it's not a reward. It's an opportunity to help test software that doesn't quite work yet.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I think people complaining about this are probably not thinking through. It's absolutely true that you can brake hard or take an aggressive turn without being unsafe. But people who reliably approach intersections fast or swing hard into traffic are more likely to get into accidents when they (inevitably) make mistakes. Cautious drivers who slow way down before the light or creep out around a turn are less likely to be surprised (because they have more time to see things) and less likely to hit the obstacles they fail to notice (because they have more time to correct).

I would agree with you if the hard braking and aggressive turning penalties were caused by actual hard braking and aggressive turning, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The car is way too conservative when measuring these forces. Both my wife and I drive very unagressively, but both our cars are repeatedly dinged for hard braking and aggressive turning. I've opted out, my wife is still in.

 

[compiling]

Have people in cities like SF or NYC been able to get a 98+ safety score?

 

[101dals]

Have people in cities like SF or NYC been able to get a 98+ safety score?

99 here in Brooklyn, but lots of slow street driving and autopilot on the BQE and LIE.

 

[Nogas59]

Getting penalized every day for unsafe following. If I follow the Tesla rules where I live in NY, I will be a victim of road rage. I keep a safe distance, but this is just stupid.

 

[Nogas59]

This Safety Score system is ridiculous. For example, if I'm on the freeway and someone jumps in front of me and I jam on the brakes for safety to keep from hitting the car, I'm penalized for 1) forward collision warning, 2) hard braking & 3) unsafe following all because I was trying to be safe, thereby lowering my score because of someone else's bad driving. There are other indicators that might give a better indication of safe driving e.g. using turn signals appropriately, not speeding more than 10 mph over the posted limit, not going through yellow-red lights and more. These can all be measured by the Tesla's system. Come on Tesla, you can do better.

I have the exact same issues in New York where so many people drive dangerously. I have avoided accidents for 30 years, but Tesla lowers my safety score. Just stupid.

 

[DblOSmith]

Uh.... what is this safety score? How do you find it? I've never heard of this.

 

[PDX-Y]

Uh.... what is this safety score? How do you find it? I've never heard of this.

Enroll in the FSD beta queue in the settings page in your car (or move to Texas, buy Tesla insurance, and opt in that way -- this was originally an insurance product). After that, you will have a "Safety Score" page in your app you can view and freak out about.

FWIW: don't listen to the freakouts. Managing a safety score at or near 100 is doable, but it requires a lot of attention and care, and no small amount of gaming the system. People who want to complain about it are people who want to get access to new toys without having to work for it or change how they drive, which is exactly the population Tesla does not want testing beta autonomy stacks.

 

[K5TRX]

That's all well and good. However, Teala's using the score to determine who gets the FSD upgrade. Currently, they are limiting it to those who score 99-100. No matter how "safe" I drive, I can't get above 96. And I cautiously watch all the indicators. I'd love to see how whoever gets 99-100 they drive. Maybe i can learn something. I do realize that since this program began, I drive better, but I can't control how others drive which ultimately affect my score.

FSD Beta is not an upgrade. The FSD upgrade that I paid for is a long way off.
I was stuck at 96. I un-enrolled and re-enrolled. I get almost all100's now.
For me, it meant giving up having a sports car that can turn like it is on rails.
I have to be watching all the time. And yup, being in a harsh urban environment
makes it hard.

You can do it. A whole lot of us have.

• Set to Chill Mode. Set Follow Distance at 7.
• You never touch the brakes except at very slow speeds. Regen only.
• You never accelerate or brake while turning. Turn slow. No, slower.
• Don't get a Forward Collision Warning or Auto Pilot disengagement. (Delete a bad trip)
• Use AutoPilot in bad situations (like where someone might cut you off).

And ask anyone who has FSD. Getting the 100 score is the easy part.
Testing FSD is hard.

If you want to get a 100, you can.