The Safety Score system needs some serious work

[Kingace74]

Tesla really needs to fix the way the safety score works before actually incorporating it for insurance premium adjustments. Its is very inconsistence and most of the time when the score drops, its not even your fault.

The forward collision is extremely inconsistent. Lot of time it will go off even the car is 3-4 car lengths away. Today, a pedestrian was getting in his car on a main street, there was no way I was going to hit the guy, but the forward collision warning went off. Dropping my score from 96 to 93.

The hard braking is complete BS. Its almost seems that you can't even touch the brakes. Anytime I apply the brakes, and most of the times its soft braking when the light turned yellow, and there was no way for me to make it through, or let the regen to auto stop, so I have to hit the brakes. Instantly in the red. Its funny because Autopilot can slam on the brakes, and that does not affect the score in any way.

I don't understand how I am always in the red for aggressive turning. I don't do crazy speed turns. I am not sure if it wants me to completely stop and turn, even at a green light.

Anytime I am in traffic, which is a lot in Los Angeles, I always get unsafe following. Even when I am at least 1 car length away.

I have never had a forced auto pilot disengagement.

I know a lot of people are having the same problem. I have spoken to several people that I know who own Tesla, and this is always their complaint. If the safety score is just to let you know how you are driving and if there are no consequences, no big deal. However, I have heard that other states, I think Ohio, is using the safety score to adjust your monthly premium. I think it is far more dangerous to drive just to get perfect scores on the safety score system.

 

[Silicon Desert]

While I agree it needs some work, it isn't going to happen. In fact it won't be around for FSD beta much longer. Only for people that have Tesla insurance. Even then I don't expect significant changes (at least from what I hear at the GF).

Regarding this statement "Anytime I am in traffic, which is a lot in Los Angeles, I always get unsafe following. Even when I am at least 1 car length away."
This 1 car length thing can be ok at 20 mph traffic but at freeway speeds, I would not want you behind me. It doesn't go by car length. It is a combination of speed and distance. You need to be at least 1 second behind the car in front. And no, I would not agree that it is more dangerous to drive in a way that gets a better score if you are talking about car separation.

 

[Silicon Desert]

And maybe this will help you if your goal is to try to maintain a good score...

How to increase your Tesla Safety Score

If you've opted-in to Tesla's assessment of your driving behavior, then you're likely trying to get access to Tesla's FSD Beta. In order to do that you'll need

www.notateslaapp.com

 

[BnGrm]

I had a horrible score until I really read the rules, and put forward collision warning to "early." It then became a game and my score went up to around 98. I can see it would be very difficult in a very crowded city with high-speed merging, but my commute is mostly suburb type travel.

 

[Kingace74]

And maybe this will help you if your goal is to try to maintain a good score...

How to increase your Tesla Safety Score

If you've opted-in to Tesla's assessment of your driving behavior, then you're likely trying to get access to Tesla's FSD Beta. In order to do that you'll need

www.notateslaapp.com

Thanks. Thats helpful.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Thanks. Thats helpful.

Best of luck with keeping the score in LA. I know it is tough. I get down through there a few times a year and like any big city, my knuckles are white and blood pressure is high

 

[Tam]

...I think it is far more dangerous to drive just to get perfect scores on the safety score system.

I would not use Tesla Safety Score for insurance premiums.

I would avoid any insurance company that uses it.

 

[ddhir]

I took delivery last week of MY LR and have driven about 200 miles mostly in the suburb (speed limit is 40 mph) I live in.
I’m a conservative driver - and with the new car, I’ve been consciously keeping 3-4 car lengths distance from vehicles ahead of me in the lane, yet my Safety Score is showing 2 items have been flagged….”Forward Collision Warnings” and “Unsafe Following” !!!!
I’m really confused as these are exactly what are NOT happening.
Appreciate advice/guidance so I can do better on the Safety Score.

 

[CaptUAL]

I have a MSP. I just drove in Manual (no auto pilot) like a nice easy, conservative driver. Always used the old 1 car length per 10mph follow distance, easy regeneration braking and easy cornering. No problem holding 100% for 200 miles or so. Got FSD 6 months ago.

 

[ATPMSD]

Complaints about the Safety Score system started the day after it came out. Everyone knows it is deeply flawed. But I feel for those who have opted for Tesla’s insurance as Tesla is using this deeply flawed system, which BTW is still considered to the BETA, as a means to adjust insurance premiums.

 

[MP3Mike]

Its is very inconsistence and most of the time when the score drops, its not even your fault.

The point of the score is to determine how likely you are to be in a collision, it doesn't matter if it is your fault or not.

 

[T-Mom]

I took delivery last week of MY LR and have driven about 200 miles mostly in the suburb (speed limit is 40 mph) I live in.
I’m a conservative driver - and with the new car, I’ve been consciously keeping 3-4 car lengths distance from vehicles ahead of me in the lane, yet my Safety Score is showing 2 items have been flagged….”Forward Collision Warnings” and “Unsafe Following” !!!!
I’m really confused as these are exactly what are NOT happening.
Appreciate advice/guidance so I can do better on the Safety Score.

The "car length" method isn't good. It's old school. Your 2 car lengths at under 40 mph is probably ok, but at 65 or greater, you will get dinged because it is too close. Try staying 2 seconds behind the lead car.

 

[ddhir]

The "car length" method isn't good. It's old school. Your 2 car lengths at under 40 mph is probably ok, but at 65 or greater, you will get dinged because it is too close. Try staying 2 seconds behind the lead car.

Agree…..(my remark was for the city speed limit roads)

 

[ddhir]

I switched to Allstate and bundled home/auto/umbrella….have lower insurance policy premium now than what Tesla Insurance would charge for a Safety Score of 96!

 

[muti277]

So you spend all this money on a car that can potentially do 0-60 in 2 seconds flat but if you will try to accelerate at even half that speed your insurance premium will go way high does anyone see how messed up this is? Not to mention that you get dinged on your score (and in effect your premium) not once but potentially 3 times anytime someone else cuts you off (once for braking hard, 2 for forward collision warning, and 3rd if you try to turn to aggressively to avoid a collision). Does that sound like it makes any sense in determining if you are a safe driver or not?
But yet running a red light or speeding does not affect your safety score! This safety score is the worst idea I have ever heard off and I can't understand why would anyone opt-in to this willingly?

 

[Solar/EV Fan]

I have the Tesla auto insurance, so my safety score affects my monthly premium. As stated by several posters above, the metrics used to determine one's score is seriously flawed, but once you learn how some of the scoring methods are applied you can adjust your driving habits if you want to. I have a question, though, which I don't know if anyone knows the answer to: How does a non-driving day affect one's score? Let's say I have two errands to run. I can do them both on the same day and not drive the second day. Or I can do one errand on day 1 and the second errand on day 2. Assuming I do both errands with only minor incidents, am I better off not driving on one of the two days?

 

[Solar/EV Fan]

The point of the score is to determine how likely you are to be in a collision, it doesn't matter if it is your fault or not.

I think the poster meant to say that the forward collision warning was unwarranted, not that it was "not his fault." I have had that happen to me when I was probably going no more than 15mph and was in complete control of whether or not I could brake in time (not even hard braking) to avoid a collision. I got what I considered an unwarranted forward collision warning. I believe the metric used was probably that I was within so many feet of a vehicle in front of me that was stopped and I accelerated toward it, no matter how slowly I was accelerating or how fast I was going.

 

[jdw]

I think the point of the safety score was to see if you can avoid putting yourself in dangerous situations, not unlike defensive driving. It doesn't penalise you for acceleration or speed, but will ding you if you have to hit the brakes or make a sharp high speed turn as a result or if you accelerate behind a slowing vehicle.

If you touch the brakes you will probably get dinged, so you learn to drive so you won't have to use the brakes, you learn to slow down if the car ahead of you does or if anything moves toward the road, you learn to take freeway ramps at the posted speed etc.

Also, if you get dinged, it is really important to fix it that same day before the low score gets recorded- you can fix a hard braking ding by performing a number of gentle stops. You can fix an aggresive turning ding by doing a lot of gentle turns (at the right speed, traffic circles are good for this).

The only thing you can't easily fix are the forward collision alerts, so you really have to watch for those. Also measures if and how much you use autopilot and won't ding you while using it - and for three seconds after it disengages. I found AP was the key to driving in heavy traffic.

More:

Hack your safety score

 

[DC_Mike]

I have a portion of my commute where, in order to enter the express lane, I take a huge sweeping climbing single lane curve. You have to accelerate from 55 to 65 to prepare to enter faster traffic. The lane combines with traffic coming from the opposite direction at the apex of the turn. The jersey wall to your left disappears as they combine creating a two lane downhill ramp. Everytime the jersey wall ends, and a car is to my left, my MYP is startled and gives a negative chime and highlights the other car. Here's where the wall ends:

38°47'31.6"N 77°10'15.2"W · Springfield, VA

Springfield, VA

goo.gl

The two lanes the make another downward sweeping curve. If I try to feather my speed around these curves traffic behind me gets mad because the goal is to enter the express lane at speed of travel, always above 65.

Everytime I get home I'm dinged for close following, and aggressive curves. And, if the car is especially freaked-out by the instantly appearing car when the jersey wall ends, a collision cherry is placed on top. The only way to avoid this 2 minute maneuver is to sit in traffic for 30-40 minutes to the next expresslane entry point.

 

[Nubo]

The "car length" method isn't good. It's old school. Your 2 car lengths at under 40 mph is probably ok, but at 65 or greater, you will get dinged because it is too close. Try staying 2 seconds behind the lead car.

I was taught 2 seconds at a minimum, ideally 4 seconds. This was in 1976