Tesla has started to enforce strict rules for FSD Beta users. Some may have thought that once they received a Safety Score of 100, the hard part was over. It looks like Tesla's going to make sure testers are paying close attention while using the FSD Beta.
Tesla has been slowly rolling out the cabin camera feature which adds a driver monitoring system to make sure the driver is paying attention to the road.
Tesla is now using this feature to make sure that FSD Beta testers are actively keeping their eyes on the road. Tesla is doing this for good reason.
Tesla's FSD Beta is really more of an alpha, a pre-release feature that holds your life in its hands. If you've watched a few FSD Beta videos then you know how amazing it can be. But you also know that it's done some extremely dangerous things as well. If you're not paying attention and ready to take over, you could be in a serious situation.
Some new FSD Beta testers are now receiving emails saying that they or someone driving their vehicle has not paid enough attention while using the FSD Beta.
Tesla is not spying with its cabin camera, but it is being alerted if the driver triggers one of these scenarios:
Receive two strikeouts while using Autopilot
Receive one or more strikes every 3 miles
The email that some users received has been shared and it states:
Hello,
You are receiving this email because telemetry from your vehicle was flagged for improper usage of the FSD Beta feature.
Specifically, while using the FSD Beta feature, you or another driver of your vehicle received:
- Two or more “strikeouts,” which resulted in the loss of Autopilot availability for that drive; or
- At least one “strike” per 5 km (about 3 miles) driven on Autopilot, which is a visual and audible warning that requires attention.
This is your only warning to please keep your hands on the wheel and remain attentive at all times when using Autopilot. The car is not autonomous, and if you aren't paying attention, a crash could happen, and you or others could get hurt, or worse, so failure to abide by this warning will result in removal of the FSD Beta feature from your vehicle.
The Tesla Team
Elon Musk has previously stated how important it is for owners and Tesla to remain vigilant while using the FSD Beta and it looks like Tesla is dead serious about this. If you're unable to keep a close eye on the road you will be booted from the beta program.
I can understand a lot of people may want to try out the FSD beta. I mean, it's amazing to see and it's a feature people paid a lot of money for, so it's completely understandable. So I can see that while there are a lot of people who want to try it, maybe not everyone wants to keep it.
Some of us may be used to using Autopilot on back roads, but this feature as we know it is essentially gone once you sign up for the FSD Beta. Any use of Autopilot on back roads is now part of the FSD Beta, meaning you need to remain attentive. You can look at it as losing a useful feature in exchange as getting a peek into the future and the ability to help test the FSD Beta.
Tesla is set to add the highway Autopilot stack in FSD Beta v11. What this means is that what used to be a helpful driver assist feature, will now be part of the beta program as well. You will no longer be able to relax while taking a longer trip, but instead need to remain hyper focused on the road.
It's important to know that you can opt-out of the FSD Beta at any time. You can email Tesla and be asked to be taken off the FSD Beta program.
Tesla is set to roll out FSD Beta 10.3 tonight and include owners with a Safety Score of 99 and higher.
If you're still working on boosting your Safety Score, try out our calculator that will let you know how many more miles you'd need to drive before reaching a score of 98 or 99.
