Tesla’s Safety Score Beta program, which assesses Tesla drivers on their driving behavior using set metics, will eventually be able to predict crash probability pretty accurately, company CEO Elon Musk said.
Earlier this week, Teslarati questioned the basis of the Safety Score Beta and whether Tesla should outline its terms more broadly to avoid confusion among drivers. Unfortunately, some owners have reported that their scores have been docked several points due to their own safety measures and what they felt comfortable with when confronted with certain situations. However, although some examples were relatively conservative and passive and would be considered “safe,” the Safety Score program reduced their score.
OPINION: Tesla’s ‘Safety Score’ Beta needs broader terms for factoring your score
The reduction of a Safety Score effectively disqualified several drivers from qualifying for entrance into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta program. Weeks ago, Musk indicated that Tesla would be expanding its FSD Beta fleet and would be adding drivers based on their Safety Score. After the Safety Score rolled out, it was revealed that Tesla would grade drivers on five set metrics: Forward Collision Warnings per 1,000 miles, Hard Braking frequency, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, and Forced Autopilot Disengagements.
Tesla calculates the Safety Score by using a Predicted Collision Frequency formula, determining how safe the driver’s behaviors are behind the wheel. 100 is the highest score an owner can achieve.
Eventually, the Safety Score Beta will be utilized by Tesla for more than just to determine which drivers are deserving of being in the elusive FSD Beta tester group. Tesla Insurance will use the Safety Score to eventually determine driver insurance rates. The company’s insurance program could launch as soon as this month in Texas, with New York also in the running to receive Tesla Insurance sometime next year.
With such weight placed on the accuracy of the Safety Score Beta program, as a driver’s insurance rates will be determined by their grade, some owners are interested in whether Tesla is planning to further refine the Safety Score Beta. Musk detailed Tesla’s plans for it this morning on Twitter and said it will eventually be refined “until it is an extremely good predictor of crash probability.”
Definitely further refinements coming to (early beta) safety test score. It will be refined continuously until it is an extremely good predictor of crash probability. Exciting actuarial problem!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2021
Tesla’s newest update to FSD Beta will roll out tomorrow, and only around 1,000 drivers will be added to the Beta fleet. Musk stated that anyone with a perfect 100 Safety Score would receive access to the Beta program, effective as soon as Software Version 10.2 rolls out sometime on Friday.
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