Would FSD help a poor driver (my son) drive safer?

[1965Falcon]

My son is home from college and needs to drive to his internship for 3 months. I would classify him as the "absent minded professor" type. He is not a good driver, he doesn't like to drive. I think he's often distracted by solving world problems in his mind. After riding with him several times driving to his work and almost missing stop signs, turns, etc. I'm just wondering if FSD would actually help him be a safer driver. He'd obviously need to pay attention, but I think the things he misses are those that FSD is pretty good at seeing. I only had FSD for the one month trial so my experience is limited but I did feel like I paid more attention when FSD was active. His drive would be mainly on rural and state routes, not really any freeway driving and no "City" driving. Thanks for the input.

 

[Padelford]

ABSOLUTELY NO ONE should be using FSD unless they are very experienced drivers.

Though V12 is better than prior versions, it is still prone to doing things that are incorrect and highly illegal/dangerous (like ignoring flag persons at road construction sites).

 

[1965Falcon]

ABSOLUTELY NO ONE should be using FSD unless they are very experienced drivers.

Though V12 is better than prior versions, it is still prone to doing things that are incorrect and highly illegal/dangerous (like ignoring flag persons at road construction sites).

Thanks for the feedback. I wouldn't think anyone would use it in anything but ideal conditions in it's current state.

 

[mgs333]

I do think it would be good to have a backup system stop for red light and stop signs but in your son's case, I think the current FSDS will make him even more complacent and detached from what's happening.

I think the old non-beta FSD (back in the days of FSD Beta) where the car automatically stops for stop signs and red lights (and green lights too!) but he still does the steering on non-highway streets (my memory is hazy on this one as I didn't use this much) would have been a better fit since he would still need to be engaged with steering and the go pedal to make it not stop at green lights and such.

 

[cmaster]

I believe it's more beneficial for him to develop real-time situational awareness by becoming familiar with the car's controls and feedback through direct physical interaction. This will enhance his motor skills, enabling him to comfortably respond to various driving scenarios. Full Self-Driving (FSD) is not designed to impart this ability. In my opinion, FSD should be utilized only after these fundamental skills are firmly established in his mind.

This is similar to mastering the basics of mathematics, reasoning, and critical thinking before applying "Math Notes" to tackle physics problems. It should be used once the underlying concepts are well understood.

 

[1965Falcon]

Thanks for the feedback all, it's appreciated. For now I'll drive with him another week or two and I think he'll both learn the routes better and hopefully start getting a little more capable/confident in his driving. We'll save FSD for later, although he ultimately wants to live in a city where he doesn't have to drive. He'll be a future robotaxi user...