I have USAA and have been using the app for the last 30 days. I have not had any real issues. Not being able to use the hands free to answer calls in annoying. The big issue I told USAA about was the hard braking. With the app after each trip you can see your route on your iphone and it will show where in the trip you got a ding. Generally hard braking is at an intersection with a light. I informed them that I now find myself running the yellow light instead of trying stop. If the app saw the hard stop was at an intersection they could understand why there was hard braking and mitigate the demerit..
Yeah, all these apps are a joke. I tried one through Progressive. When I get home, I back into my driveway, ding-ding, harsh braking change if direction. We have these in our work trucks as well, I am a professional driver who provides ample space behind vehicles in front, when jack asses cut into that space, ding-ding harsh brake. These algorithms have no way to analyze GOOD driving, only deductions for precautionary measures, complete BS allowing you to be penalized
Very Informative Video. I just finished using the apple app to review USAA’s safe pilot app. It’s not for me, too many people are complaining about it. I sorted the reviews on the most recent, I’ll wait for better user feedback. Thanks for the excellent review. 👍
I'm a postal worker and drive for work. I also use GPS and listen my satellite radio the entire time and it all count's against me. I hate it so far, I got a message saying I was on my phone 76 percent of the time when I didn't touch my phone wile driving.
Very helpful review. I was strongly considering getting this but the road I live on has a lot of bad/illegal drivers that causes lots of hard breaks and swerving (things I do to be safe would have me penalized).. plus the contradictions in how they use their data tells me they will do whatever they want with it.
Great review. I was about to sign up but after hearing all about the “fine print” I’m no longer interested. Not been able to turn it off once I’m done driving it’s a big deal for me. Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Have a nice day!!
I started using it a few months ago, so far, I like it. I don’t ever use my phone while driving. There are some annoying things like hands free calling counting as an infraction, but it doesn’t take much at all to get your score back up. So, I have no complaints so far.
I have been using the app for a few months. I am the only driver and had to correct that once in the last couple of months of using the app. It seems to only ding me for an occasional harsh brake, but there could not have been a harsh brake and I called USAA and was told not to worry about it.... No notice of speeding dings, although I probably have exceeded the limit on a freeway sometimes. Have seen an occasional request to turn on the app/phone because they think they are not getting info from the phone; however, there was no info because I wasn't driving and do not drive very much compared to most people.
USAA leased or purchased safe pilot from who knows. It has lots of holes, that USAA does not explain. I had it for months before I found out that if you drive a long day trip, over 4-5 hours, that may count against you. I had a 100%,then suddenly it was 89%……no tickets, no accidents, no nothing. And they did not change it. You can leave your phone at home occasionally. It does not track if you are driving or not…you do the option to select “I was the driver,” “I was the passenger.,” “This was not a drive.”
I have a virtually unblemished driving record and I'm not happy with USAA's program for all the reasons already mentioned. "Harsh braking" is too touchy and often, a functional response. The use of phone business is nonsensical. I turned on the ignition in my driveway and noticed a light on the dash. I called my husband about it and I never moved the car. I was penalized, anyway. I don't want to reiterate everyone else's complaints, but suffice it to say I might forgo the discount if I find this program to be too much of a pain.
I dont think the app penalizes you for anything if your not moving... how would the app know you were in the car? It senses gps going above a certain speed, mine even says if I was driving less then a mile it wasn't an actual drive. so it doesn't even count. So I think you're wrong on that. Saying this app penalized you for calling your husband while you were stationary is non sense. And what is the "light on the dash" you mentioned? Unless you were driving when you called your husband doesn't matter the reason you called while you were driving which the app is designed to report.
Happened to me too. I parked, made a phone call and then got back on the road. The app indicated I was using hands free calling when I got back on the road.
@Steve Sherman I agree, but on a positive note, you get a percent off just for using it, for now at least. I have no doubt a few years from now apps like these will be required and your rate will be based on it. I've been using it a few months now and despite having zeros except for 2 harsh braking im in low 80's for driving score. Apps says 13 percent off for my next renewal in may 8th. No idea how you get a 100 driving score its clearly not based on what their claiming affects the score. One would think if you get all 0's you get 100 /100. They should be more transparent in what goes into your driving score.
@@cranbers negative. The app sense vehicle Bluetooth and the app turns on. It's will add one mile even if you didnt drive a mile or even move. I've called USAA and they said "we are still working out glitches"
Lack of proper expectations being set is the biggest issue. One it's an additional discount in top of your premiere driver discount for having no tickets or accidents. This is to reduce distracted driving. First, It does not connect to your car. It's just an app on your phone and it uses motion and fitness features along with GPS data to track when you start driving which can take a few minutes to start recording and take a few minutes to realize your trip has probably ended. Hands free is still distracted driving. Don't let others use your phone. Set up music apps and map apps before you start driving.
I've been getting the 30% off discount since i began using the app almost 2 years ago. I don't use my phone at all when driving, i don't even touch it. I want the discount so i am committed to safe driving. I have gotten harsh braking ding but don't lose the discount just for 1 or 2 of those.
I have USAA, signed up for this program . . . and will not use it. They want entirely too much personal information and we all know that information, once collected, ultimately gets disseminated regardless of the initial promise not to. It's like having Big Brother riding along beside you in the passenger seat and taking notes about where you go, when you go there, etc. etc. etc.: none of their business. Although getting a discount on insurance is nice . . . it's not THAT nice.
Been using the app since it came out. Wife is using it also. With USAA 47 years and am a very careful driver. I don't drive very much, either. But, the app regularly hits me for harsh braking, even though I live in a rural area with few traffic lights nor stop signs. On an open stretch of road it will register a harsh braking event, even though my speed has not changed. Three harsh braking events in the first 12 days of December, alone, and I cannot figure out why. I still have received the max discount, or close to it, because I don't use the phone for calls. If you don't use the app, you are essentially being penalized by forfeiting the discount, so you really need to use the app despite its faults. Nevertheless, one would think the app developers could fix the harsh braking software problem.
It uses the motion sensor in your phone. The sensor that tells your phone to turn the screen. So with certain motions, your phone is registering as harsh braking. I find it best to take the phone out of my pocket and set it in the console. I stopped getting the harsh braking ding.
Im currently with usaa auto insurance.. will update eventually. I can say that i dislike how the infractions work. gps, hands free, turning on phone, other dumb things count against you. Even when I drive with other people it logs it as me. Im still in the learning period though so in 10 days i'll find out what happens. I also agree with the red light infractions. roads here have 55 mph speed limits and then random traffic lights along the way and that counts towards harsh breaking. I also had to use gps the other day and it basically logged my entire trip as an infraction. So far i am not enjoying it, but i'll wait to see before i give my final judgement.
i'm confused on your comments...You said turning on phone or gps count against you? How do you know that? As far as logging you as driving but were the passenger, how can it tell, you can go into the app and say you were the passenger (click the steering wheel icon and say passenger). And using GPS your entire trip as an infraction? What do you mean by that? thanks for clarifying so we all know what you're stating so we understand.
@@chrismendonca4522 Damn…So I guess we have to gut radios out of our cars then, right? Lol Just take road trips just listening to the music of road noise is safer by their standards lol
USAA was a good company, recently they increase 40% rate increase. I am a Florida resident, no tickets, no accidents and credit score in the top 1% in the USA. Retired. I dropped them.
I probably will too. Also a FL resident. Been with them 14 years and over the last year my monthly payment has increased $40 twice, so $80/mo over what I was paying last year, same vehicles and coverage. Gimmicky
Yes. We are all Florida residents wondering who you switched to? You never answer... I've been with USAA my whole life...never once having an accident. I had a woman run a red light and break my neck, and my back, in two places. I don't drive but, once or twice a month (to the doctors office and grocery, that's it.) I'm having to survive on less than $900 a month Disability (my check, AND I've worked since 14 years old.) I have the minimum PIP and Liability and am paying SO MUCH MONEY. I'm 56 years old, now, and have had USAA for 40+ years. I'd LOVE to have a less expensive bill! Please help!! I've used this application and hate it. It says I'm doing things I'm not, (like the "hard braking" issue.) I took the app OFF my phone because of this. (I don't text and drive, or talk on the phone... that's what the woman was doing that hit me and hurt me.) Anyway, I need a break, as every dollar REALLY COUNTS, to me. I'm a retired teacher with a sole income of my disability check. Please reply🙏🏼
All insurance companies have raised rates unfortunately due to inflation and many other factors, that large of an increase for no reason is very steep though. I’m in WA and rate hasn’t changed too much.
USAA app is totally bogus. Dinged 3 times for stopping at red lights, instead of cruising on through. Dinged for checking messages while parked in a parking lot, dinged for checking an address while parked on the street, dinged for using my phone to open the garage door while parked in my driveway.
Never, ever give any insurance company this kind of access to your information. They will use it against you and/or raise your rates. Former Allstate employee.
I’ve always been averse to giving location permissions on my phone until recently, when USAA increased my rate by almost double. I decided “what the hell” and downloaded the SafePilot app. Now I’m regretting that decision and reading all these horror stories. Should I just delete/uninstall the app? Sorry for the weird question. I just don’t know who to trust anymore and honestly want to say “fuck em all and fuckin no regrets” at this point.
Doesn't work well. Just took a trip with someone else driving and I got dinged for their calls. My sister was sitting in the car, while I went into the store. I called her while in the store and again got dinged for being on the phone. I live in Az and sit in the car with the a/c on, while not driving to make calls when it's 119 degrees out. Again, I get dinged for driving. I'm NOT driving! My car is hands free and it still dings me. Like the discount but I won't qualify in the long run. They need to work these glitches out.
I wish they had an option you could select where you're the driver but the kids were playing games on your phone. Because that's my situation much of the time. If it were only based on my driving, I would be golden.
Thank you for your review. USAA dinged me for using my phone. I was parked with the car on with 100's of people in the same situation. I'm in Vegas. When the temperature is between 90-111 degrees am I supposed to turn the car and the air conditioning off so I could take more of my language class on-line while I waited? I guess next time I think I will be in the same situation, I'll bring a book or magazine with me. They also dinged me repeatedly for being a passenger. Fortunately, I keep a record on my calendar where I have been and knew I was not the driver each time. There was a button that allowed me to note I was the passenger and the app stated that the mark against me was removed. I'm not happy with this program, but will keep with it to see if I can achieve a discount. If it's too sensitive and continually gives false impressions I will leave it.
I have 0 infractions for 3 months and a 97 score. 3 days ago I had a 30% discount, today it dropped to 15% without a change in my score. No explanation.
I am currently using usaa safepilot and so far i had a 100 percent score and out of nowhere there was a harsh brake on one of my drives (i wasn’t braking harshly) and my score instantly went to 66 for 1 harsh brake :/
@@LkhrobertsonI believe it. I drive about once, or twice, a month to the doctors and grocery shopping (all within 4 miles!) They say I harsh brake, when I don't. It's garbage. I'm in Florida and thinking about dropping USAA, totally. I can't afford my insurance on a less than $900 disability check.
Its not worth it, you get penalized just for driving. I was told that even though I drive safe, I drive to much. Anything over 1hr a day driving takes points away. I drive 30mins to work and another 30 home. So everyday I lose points
You probably drove more than what you reported when you set up the insurance (annually mileage per year). They are using it against you. If you think you’ll go over, don’t use the app.
It’s not made for “modern” drivers. If you’re at a drive thru like Starbucks or McDonald’s and you unlock your phone to pay with the app it dings you as “handling phone” while driving, even if your car is parked. The trip doesn’t end until you turn off your car and the Bluetooth disconnects.
I don't drive often but I received a message saying I haven't moved my vehicle and that bothered me as if I don't drive daily I felt that was a bit much
I live in AZ and if I drive the speed limit, I would get run over and could be the cause of an accident. Insurance companies go by a schedule of rates, and all things being equal other the mileage driven, I should get a better rate when driving 12000 miles per year vs those that drive 50000 miles per year, but I don't. This is very unfair. Very helpful review and I will not be signing up for this.
I live in Houston and drive a truck, so my USAA app Pings harsh braking and phone handling with almost every trip. I listen to Pandora and if I want to replay a tract using the controls on my steering wheel, it logs it as phone handling. Also, if a phone call comes through and I hit my steering wheel control to hang up and keep it from ringing, it record it as a hands free call. USAA is still an insurance company out to make a profit; I truly doubt they will adjust their app at all. I figured the small discount I get from it is better than nothing and I assume USAA thinks the same way.
Here because I just switched to USAA from Geico. -The app definitely isn't efficient at detecting if you were a driver/passenger. -24/7 location, physical activity access. -Handsfree, which is relatively safe, is counted against you. -The disclosure is worded in a way that pretty much tells you "we're going to do what we want with your information and just use the phrases 'other services' and 'not limited to' to cover it up". -According to Reddit reviews your rate increases at renewal, so your discount becomes the price you would've been paying anyways essentially. -But hey enjoy!
Thanks for the info. I'm a few days into my trial period and I had a few drives that were labeled passenger, but you can change that in the app. I've had to correct a few along the way.
@@thebigmammoo how do you change that? I've had it label me as a passenger when I'm driving ALONE in the car. I also got an infraction using my phone in the lobby of the car wash! Any ideas where to report these problems?
@@quietlion33Geico is the company who really screwed me when a woman ran a red light (on her phone) breaking my neck and back, in two places. I'll NEVER go with them on principle alone (GEICO.)
not worth it. Felt invasive. At times my wife would use my phone near me, but I get tagged for using phone. My kids in the back put the phone behind me hanging to watch videos. Also claims I am using the phone. for a family with kids and a wife that wants to use your phone, not worth it.
I'm single, no kids, NEVER use my phone while driving, disabled AND HARDLY DRIVE (maybe 4, 2 mile trips A MONTH, to the doctor and grocery shopping) and I HATE this app. It says I've "harshly braked," when I never have, and don't... amongst other things.
I think they reduced the harsh breaking sensitivity. I was building up many bad marks for that (without actually breaking harshIy) and then one day they all disappeared. Good thing too because it tempted me to hold up traffic. I don't like that I can't let my kids use my phone when I drive.
I noticed this too, I have a tetsla and it likes to wait late to start braking for a car in front of it. Every time it stopped fast for a car who slowed down late to turn into their driveway on a 50 mph road or sudden stop at a stop light. I thought for sure it would ding me, but it didn't. Doesn't seem to matter though I still only have low 80's on the driving score and thats with all zero's with 2 harsh braking.
I’m not a fan. I was a passenger for a week on a bus in a National park and got dinged with “hard braking” multiple times. The app didn’t notify me of the recorded trips and I couldn’t delete them from my record. My 10% discount was “dinged” one percent for only recoding one week out of a whole month while the app was on the whole time. So, I still got a 9% discount I wouldn’t have gotten. 🤷🏼♀️ I really hate that I can’t use navigation on my phone without getting “dinged”, as well.
I am a paramedic. I drive my car to work, home, work, store, home. I drive/ride the next 16 hours in an emergency response truck over night. I go all over the city to many different places, often at faster than the speed limit. We have to break a lot (people don't pull to the right, they stop or pull into the left in front of us or slow down rapidly). I had to go through my "trips" over and over to mark as a passenger. Not having a way to disconnect when at work makes it useless to me.
I got an "infraction" for stopping at a stop light. It wasn't any different from any other stop light I've stopped at. I'm sick of being treated like a kid to save $12
I am on my first day of the trial and not liking it already. I got a harsh braking infraction for nearly every red light I stopped at, and I was not even close to slamming on the brakes. Until this is improved, this is a big NO from me!
Usaa says if you drop 8mph within 2 seconds its harsh breaking. So keep a further following distance from car in front. I saw this and only got 1 or 2 harsh breaking and googled it.
I'm 81 retired and been with USAA for over 60 years. USAA is not the same company it used to be. They have become just another huge insurance company insuring all comers. I often wonder how much money they spend on TV advertising for a limited audience that could be used to lower rates. I consider my wife and I very safe drivers and this past year my insurance cost went up 50% and 100% in last 2 years (same cars) with only one minor fender bender in last 10 years and no tickets no nothing. We live in an urban environment hardly use our car phone and never while moving. But, I don't want to be dinged/bothered for rarely using my phone or passenger using theirs or braking what they consider too harsh when it is not. Driving can be stressful enough without being constantly communicated by USAA/phone. As someone said "l have to keep on top of it constantly"- not me.
Just signed up and still in the 14 day trial period. Not happy so far. I don’t understand why you get penalized for hands free calling. I get having infractions for phone handling but if I need to make a phone call, I should be able to do so without being penalized if I’m not touching my phone. Might be getting rid of it
I am currently one week into my trial period with USAA , and so far it's going ok bit I have had to turn it off because it as you mentioned there was no other option when I was in my friends car and I was not driving,but something else that is very strange is happening since I have downloaded the app that I thought should be me mentioned is that I am suddenly getting tons of spam text messages, I dont know that it's related bit wanted to mention it and wonder if anyone else has or is experiencing this? other than that and not being able to " switch to passenger mode" is already problematic, I will post more comments after my trial period ends and give a better review. Thank you for all the information and giving us a chance to connect & learn about others experiences. I am in Florida and insurance here is ridiculous simply because I am in this state any help or knowledge I can get is helpful. Thank you for taking the time to post your videos & I will let you know how my experience with USAA driving app goes as I use it more. ( not happy that it always has to be on 365 a year)
If you look at the trip details, there’s a steering wheel in there. Click that and it’ll say “I was the passenger.” Select that and it won’t log your trip. So far that’s the only thing right about it
I rarely drive and use uber alot. the app is often reads my uber or passenger with friends rides as me driving. I had to continually check and correct this mis-read of my traveling. the HARD part is the app is so slow that each attempted correction that I was a passenger and not a driver would take several minutes for the app to respond. finally I couldn't stand having to go thru the time consuming process and the frequent misreads that I was driving when I was not. Fix you app USAA.
Awesome and informational video; the app is better in some ways, but it may be worse in others as of more recent use. You can claim that you were a passenger rather than a driver now but I find myself using that feature ridiculously often as it rarely identifies a drive where I'm not behind the wheel. I find it very difficult to get my score up even with perfect driving almost all the time. As a teen driver, rate reductions can be incredibly helpful, and being locked at 17% because of one (hands free!!) phone call is extremely frustrating. Not horrible, but not for everyone.
I just spoke with them about this!! I’m not harsh braking and they says it on one of mines…. But USAA is extremely high and every year goes up in Georgia and our roads is terrible!!! I can use hands free it’s safer!!! But it not a great system
I just started using it and am in my trial period. I'm fortunate because I really hate talking on the phone and I'm able to use my Android Auto for Spotify and Google Maps without having to touch my phone. My wife has to be on the phone quite a bit during her drives so I don't think she'll be enrolling, even if I can get her an Android Auto stereo for her vehicle. That hands free phone use is a deal breaker for her. I'm gonna ride it out a bit more, but saving anything less than $40 a month isn't worth the invasion of privacy to me.
keep in mind just enrolling gives you a discount, if you are the worst driver in the world you still get a discount for letting usaa have all your data.
So with the iPhone you can turn this off without cancelling the app. Go to settings, then privacy, then motion and fitness, the toggle the usaa button to off by making the green go away. If you are using a ride share like Uber or Lyft definitely do this before or if you drive for work like door dash or Uber eats. If you drive with the motion abs fitness turned off then it’s not registering a drive for you when you’re actually driving. Then turn it back on using the same steps when you want it to record again. Don’t stop the app or delete the app.
It showed me breaking hard on a road I never stopped on. It had me breaking hard and driving on a side road I wasn't on. It shows me making phone calls when I use Google maps. Not a very good program. I'm sure my savings would be around zero when the reduction would take effect next January.
I started this program and my wife and co workers who seen me drive make fun of me how safe and slow I am. yet the usaa app said I break harshley and I have an 80 on my driving score. That right there tells me all I need to know that this app is either flawed or so strict that even the safest driver isn't going to get more then a 10 percent discount for enrolling. I have zero phone usage, and 1 or 2 harsh breaking scores in the last month of use. So again 80 out of 100? On my driving score? Seriously? What qualifies as 100? or even 90 or 85?
Either the app is completely flawed, or they're scoring you on all kinds of things they're not telling you about... or both. I drove to Home Depot today, 3miles each way, light traffic, no infractions report by the app. After I get home I check the app and notice I'm scoring 62... yesterday it was 92. How did I drop 30pts with a short drive and no reported infractions?
@@phobbes4-zero I was at 100 during the "learning phase". And it went down to 80 after its supposed to be counting. Right now its an 81. I have all zeros and one harsh braking. I do go with the flow of traffic on the highway which is 78 in a 70. So maybe thats it? Why wouldn't they explain the score if there are other factors then phone handling hands free calling hand held calling and harsh braking?
Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if this app is just a way to get people to drive more safely with a false sense they will get a large discount but really only get the 10 percent. Imagine how much money they would lose if even a fraction of their customers got 30 percent off their insurance bill. In this way they get everyone driving safer saving them money but they can still roll the money in. Same with Tesla being more expensive to insure yet its the safest car with the most safety features of anything out there. yet they charge more to insure it, interesting right.
I hate this app. I answer texts at red lights and my apps don’t work when I plug in sometimes so I gotta grab my phone and fix everything at the red light and then the pilot apps counts all that and it’s not fair smh I don’t touch my phone when I’m actually driving
I agree with the issue of hard breaking. The area I live in has a US highway which is the main road people use. Even though it is a major road, there are a lot of traffic control lights. Harsh breaking is inevitable. There's just no way you'll make all the lights. I'm new to the program so I don't have any other complaints as of yet.
I've had this app. for 13 months and have driven 9,300 annual hours and I have zero infractions for this period. My current score is an 86 and there telling me the score is lowering because of these hours. FYI this averages out to 11.92 hours a month... I'm just not getting this decrease any ideas.
No matter how you squish and squint with your math... the SafePilot app thinks you drive more than 24 hours a day for 13 months straight... and would assume you and your co-pilot take turns sleeping... but never stop to pee or get gas. Might want to check those numbers again. :) For example, 9300 hours divided by 24 hours in a day would equal 387 days and 12 hours... of driving and no sleeping and no stopping. Are you human Tesla, lol?
Something whacko here. I just started using the app a week ago so don't know if it reports "hours" driving. However, assuming it does, 9300 hours of driving at an assumed average speed of 45 would be 9300 x 45 (mph) = 418,500 miles annually. And also, maybe 14 sets of new tires if you changed every 30,000 miles. IF instead, the 9300 annual hours was actually 9300 miles, that would mean 25.5 miles a day.
I can't get it to load to my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S23, which is the last model, and it stalls at step 3. I called USAA and spent an hour on the phone with their experts and they couldn't figure it out. They said they were going to put in a ticket and fix it. That was 2 months ago and it still doesn't work.
Punishes you for using Waze (hands free) and receiving a phone call that is handled hands-free. Too often, you get harsh, breaking punishment for not running a red light.
My biggest complaints are the harsh braking, getting dinged when I'm a passenger in another vehicle, and my end of use was getting dinged for phone handling while parked. Granted the engine was running but it eas about 116 degrees
I also am not going to let it track me all the time. I dont do anything nefarious, but don't like big brother's nose over my shoulder all the time. The final straw was after reloading the app it would never send me the verification code
I installed the app on an extra phone that was connected to my phone’s hotspot. Then I could use my phone with no problem and have flawless trips. Still with one harsh braking here and there my rating is 80 and projected discount of 23%.
I don't like it. My average driving time is an 1hour 10 minutes ... there are days it's two hours, and im a supervisor. So im constantly getting calls. But if im using hands free, why is that counted against me. I thought the whole point was to not touch your phone and have your hands on the steering wheel. Im in traffic 90% of the time, and even when im not harsh breaking, it penalized you. I tried to leave a review on the android app, but they set it up so they can receive any more reviews.
They don't track speed however the phone handling and the other phone parts of the app have alot of glitches I'll drive with out using my phone and it'll say I've used hands free or had phone handling and I didn't use my phone period.
Apparently I'm a horrible '77%' driver, because I've had some 'harsh braking' and some hands-free uses. Haven't had an accident of any kind since 1986, and have 1 ticket in the last 25 years. All that and just a 9% discount. The hands-free penalty is absolutely ridiculous. We've been a USAA family for decades, but I'm fast losing faith in USAA.
About the same driving record here. "HARSH BRAKING" as opposed to NOT REACTING to possible collisions ? idk. I am not an aggressive driver imo... I KEEP a safe distance between my car and the cars ahead of me (roughly one car length per 10mph). Curious why my stellar driving history for 44 years is not studied by their matrix and encouraged in others...lol. Banging a 70% , deeply saddened. Still love USAA though.
Seems they have removed the premium driver discounts now and are forcing you to use this telematics to get a discount. between this and the really poor showing on a windshield rock strike claim I too am losing faith in a company I have bragged about for years
I'm not keen about using their stolen software. Auto Telematics Ltd. USAA turned the company away, stole their idea without patent. USAA took the share that company should've had and resulted in that Auto Telematics Ltd. downfall. That's a shame!
I also think that USAA is a great company and has great customer service but I don't care for this application which constantly records every location your phone goes to and you cannot disconnect from it without risk of losing your discount. This means when I got in my friend's car it was recording his driving record and locations as if I was in my vehicle. I'm a little Disturbed knowing that I'm constantly tracked even if I walk somewhere.
I'm retired and live in a rural area and I do not put many miles on at all. What I don't like is I have to keep signing in and verifying my eligibility on the app every time I get in the vehicle. Otherwise I have to leave the app running on my phone all the time which drains the battery. It would be nice if the app could sense when I'm in the vehicle driving and when I'm not and turn off.
IMO, it's not. They don't gauge one's driving correctly. I drive SO LITTLE and repeatedly get "harsh braking," when I don't harshly brake. Plus, I NEVER use my phone in the car. Too much infringement on my rights and with NOTHING CORRECT.
Day 1 of my 14-day trial and I believe I'm a pretty good driver so, this will be interesting to see how they rate me. I'll let you all know in 14 days.
Mark, great video! My only complaint about the USAA Safe Pilot app is, What is the score breakdown??? It would be helpful to know, A score of 90 will earn the driver a 30% discount, a score above 80 will earn the driver a 20% discount, and a score above 70 will earn the driver a 10% discount. The lack of clarity and ability to realize the "30% discount goal" is upsetting and (from what most people are saying) unattainable. Clearer goals/score relation would be helpful + dropping the Bluetooth phone handling is a must. Thanks again for your great video.
About the same driving record here. "HARSH BRAKING" as opposed to NOT REACTING to possible collisions ? idk. I am not an aggressive driver imo... I KEEP a safe distance between my car and the cars ahead of me (roughly one car length per 10mph). Curious why my stellar driving history for 44 years is not studied by their matrix and encouraged in others...lol. Banging a 70% , only issues are HARSH BRAKING ... deeply saddened. Still love USAA though.
Which tells me they are factoring in other data such as how much you drive, cornering, speed, etc. That's one of the things that bothers me about this app. They're not upfront about how ALL the data collected factors into your score. Probably because the fine print would be hundreds of pages.
It can not differentiate what vehicle your driving and whether or not if your driving. Mine recently told me I drove well when I was the passenger. If you're s first responder(driver), DO NOT CARRY YOUR PHONE TO WORK if this app is running. (You CANNOT turn it off)
I drive for work and can't untrack data when I'm not in my personal vehicle. Passenger detection is wrong. Should be an active option. Needs 250+ miles a month to calculate data efficiently. Allegedly.
I got one harsh braking fault in the last month it lowered my scored to 92. It doesn’t show any other faults and today my score went down to 83. I only drive about 2 miles each way to work. I’m not sure why it lowered my score again.
You have to be careful with this or any apps watching your driving habits? They are looking for reasons to charge you more $$ or find reasons for there benefit usually. How many miles you drive is usually a guess and they want a better picture for there benefit not ours? Not fair for consumers. Scares me too.
Very very sensitive to any braking. Also doesn't count when someone pulls out in front of you or if an animal runs across the road in front of you and you brake to avoid hitting it. Phone handling. Can't differentiate if you pull over & stop in parking lot and call someone to clarify directions or look up something. Also can't differentiate if you are using phone for direction guidance.
It doesn’t count against you for using the gps unless you keep handling the phone. If your kids want to use your phone, after your drive, go to app and if it dings you, you can mark the ride as, “I was a passenger” and it won’t be counted against you.
I've been using the app since my renewal last November, and I agree with what most others have said about the harsh braking dinging. My initial suspicions were when I downloaded the app in the beginning, would this affect my premiums in any way? Just the other day, 1-10-23, I received a notice from USAA to revie a document ref my auto ins. Granted, I just renewed two months ago, they're adding a mid-policy increase, which has NEVER happened before! I called and the rep really couldn't explain why, nor could she explain why all of a sudden my 06 Cadillac STS premium for other than collision, surpassed my 2015 Ford Explorer Limited! I asked if it was related to the App, and of course she denied it, but it's so Very Obvious!
It worked for us for a few months, but now I keep getting messages from USAA saying they are not getting data. I have my settings as per their requirements and I've talked to their help desk. They think the problem may be that i don't drive 200 miles/month that would give them the data they need. They do, however, give me the discount, but it is tiresome to always have to fight it. Glad to know about the hands off issue. We use traffic and maps apps when driving.
The telephone portion indicates usage even if the phone is move any. I placed my phone in a box on the back seat. At the end of my drive it showed i had used the phone. No one ever gets the 30 percent. I never, never, never touch my phone during a drive and over a 4 month period it showed 22 phone usages. As i said i tested it by putting it in a box on the back seat. NOT a good app. It shows at renewal i will receive a 12 percent discount. I have checked and with another company my insurance would be 20 percent less without a safe driving discount. Looks like USAA lost another customer.
Thanks for the info. Who'd you switch to, and in what State? I'm in Florida, and have had USAA for over 40 years. They're a big disappointment, and I hardly ever even drive! (I'm disabled from a bad wreck, that wasn't my fault, and it was proven.) I drive maybe four times a month, and less than 4 miles. I live in a college town, so, apparently, I'm penalized for kids, in wrecks.
What kind of discount can I expect if I’m going 20 mph over the speed limit 90% of the time I’m driving? I don’t plan on slowing down either because everyone else goes 20 mph over and speed variation is the #1 cause of accidents. Ironically, speeding is safer than not speeding where I live.
I have USAA and have been using the app for the last 30 days. I have not had any real issues. Not being able to use the hands free to answer calls in annoying. The big issue I told USAA about was the hard braking. With the app after each trip you can see your route on your iphone and it will show where in the trip you got a ding. Generally hard braking is at an intersection with a light. I informed them that I now find myself running the yellow light instead of trying stop. If the app saw the hard stop was at an intersection they could understand why there was hard braking and mitigate the demerit..
Don’t tailgate. Problem solved
@@user-qs2qj2rf8b - you dumb ass there was no tailgating.
@@user-qs2qj2rf8b nowhere in their post did they say they were tailgating. The hard braking is a well known problem with this app.
Going 45 to 0 mph in a matter of 100 feet is what he's talking about. Nothing to do with a car ahead.
Yeah, all these apps are a joke. I tried one through Progressive. When I get home, I back into my driveway, ding-ding, harsh braking change if direction. We have these in our work trucks as well, I am a professional driver who provides ample space behind vehicles in front, when jack asses cut into that space, ding-ding harsh brake. These algorithms have no way to analyze GOOD driving, only deductions for precautionary measures, complete BS allowing you to be penalized
Very Informative Video. I just finished using the apple app to review USAA’s safe pilot app. It’s not for me, too many people are complaining about it. I sorted the reviews on the most recent, I’ll wait for better user feedback.
Thanks for the excellent review. 👍
I'm a postal worker and drive for work. I also use GPS and listen my satellite radio the entire time and it all count's against me. I hate it so far, I got a message saying I was on my phone 76 percent of the time when I didn't touch my phone wile driving.
Very helpful review. I was strongly considering getting this but the road I live on has a lot of bad/illegal drivers that causes lots of hard breaks and swerving (things I do to be safe would have me penalized).. plus the contradictions in how they use their data tells me they will do whatever they want with it.
Great review. I was about to sign up but after hearing all about the “fine print” I’m no longer interested. Not been able to turn it off once I’m done driving it’s a big deal for me. Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Have a nice day!!
I just purchased a new car, signed up with USAA and this safe pilot program. Will let you know how I find it. Thank you for the video.
I started using it a few months ago, so far, I like it. I don’t ever use my phone while driving. There are some annoying things like hands free calling counting as an infraction, but it doesn’t take much at all to get your score back up. So, I have no complaints so far.
I have been using the app for a few months. I am the only driver and had to correct that once in the last couple of months of using the app. It seems to only ding me for an occasional harsh brake, but there could not have been a harsh brake and I called USAA and was told not to worry about it.... No notice of speeding dings, although I probably have exceeded the limit on a freeway sometimes. Have seen an occasional request to turn on the app/phone because they think they are not getting info from the phone; however, there was no info because I wasn't driving and do not drive very much compared to most people.
USAA leased or purchased safe pilot from who knows. It has lots of holes, that USAA does not explain. I had it for months before I found out that if you drive a long day trip, over 4-5 hours, that may count against you. I had a 100%,then suddenly it was 89%……no tickets, no accidents, no nothing. And they did not change it. You can leave your phone at home occasionally. It does not track if you are driving or not…you do the option to select “I was the driver,” “I was the passenger.,” “This was not a drive.”
I have a virtually unblemished driving record and I'm not happy with USAA's program for all the reasons already mentioned. "Harsh braking" is too touchy and often, a functional response. The use of phone business is nonsensical. I turned on the ignition in my driveway and noticed a light on the dash. I called my husband about it and I never moved the car. I was penalized, anyway. I don't want to reiterate everyone else's complaints, but suffice it to say I might forgo the discount if I find this program to be too much of a pain.
I dont think the app penalizes you for anything if your not moving... how would the app know you were in the car? It senses gps going above a certain speed, mine even says if I was driving less then a mile it wasn't an actual drive. so it doesn't even count. So I think you're wrong on that. Saying this app penalized you for calling your husband while you were stationary is non sense. And what is the "light on the dash" you mentioned? Unless you were driving when you called your husband doesn't matter the reason you called while you were driving which the app is designed to report.
Happened to me too. I parked, made a phone call and then got back on the road. The app indicated I was using hands free calling when I got back on the road.
@Steve Sherman I agree, but on a positive note, you get a percent off just for using it, for now at least. I have no doubt a few years from now apps like these will be required and your rate will be based on it. I've been using it a few months now and despite having zeros except for 2 harsh braking im in low 80's for driving score. Apps says 13 percent off for my next renewal in may 8th. No idea how you get a 100 driving score its clearly not based on what their claiming affects the score. One would think if you get all 0's you get 100 /100. They should be more transparent in what goes into your driving score.
@@cranbers negative. The app sense vehicle Bluetooth and the app turns on. It's will add one mile even if you didnt drive a mile or even move. I've called USAA and they said "we are still working out glitches"
Lack of proper expectations being set is the biggest issue. One it's an additional discount in top of your premiere driver discount for having no tickets or accidents. This is to reduce distracted driving. First, It does not connect to your car. It's just an app on your phone and it uses motion and fitness features along with GPS data to track when you start driving which can take a few minutes to start recording and take a few minutes to realize your trip has probably ended. Hands free is still distracted driving. Don't let others use your phone. Set up music apps and map apps before you start driving.
AIRPLANE MODE,,,,,,,,,,BALLS TO THE WALL
The hands free penalty sucks!
😂😂😂😂😂😂
This comment made me laugh hard.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
So that work?... Might be a good idea to know that
Nothing like Big Brother watching you day and night
I've been getting the 30% off discount since i began using the app almost 2 years ago. I don't use my phone at all when driving, i don't even touch it. I want the discount so i am committed to safe driving. I have gotten harsh braking ding but don't lose the discount just for 1 or 2 of those.
I get harsh braking and don't do that, AND I NEVER USE MY PHONE WHILE DRIVING.
The app is crap.
I’m hoping to do the same Theresa. Jm aiming for 30%. I’m in learning mode now. So far I’ve got 0’s across the board…10 more days to go!!!
I have USAA, signed up for this program . . . and will not use it. They want entirely too much personal information and we all know that information, once collected, ultimately gets disseminated regardless of the initial promise not to. It's like having Big Brother riding along beside you in the passenger seat and taking notes about where you go, when you go there, etc. etc. etc.: none of their business. Although getting a discount on insurance is nice . . . it's not THAT nice.
Been using the app since it came out. Wife is using it also. With USAA 47 years and am a very careful driver. I don't drive very much, either. But, the app regularly hits me for harsh braking, even though I live in a rural area with few traffic lights nor stop signs. On an open stretch of road it will register a harsh braking event, even though my speed has not changed. Three harsh braking events in the first 12 days of December, alone, and I cannot figure out why. I still have received the max discount, or close to it, because I don't use the phone for calls. If you don't use the app, you are essentially being penalized by forfeiting the discount, so you really need to use the app despite its faults. Nevertheless, one would think the app developers could fix the harsh braking software problem.
It uses the motion sensor in your phone. The sensor that tells your phone to turn the screen. So with certain motions, your phone is registering as harsh braking. I find it best to take the phone out of my pocket and set it in the console. I stopped getting the harsh braking ding.
I keep the phone on the console charging pad in my truck. Best I can tell it doesn't move. Still get the harsh braking on clear straight roads.
Im currently with usaa auto insurance.. will update eventually. I can say that i dislike how the infractions work. gps, hands free, turning on phone, other dumb things count against you. Even when I drive with other people it logs it as me. Im still in the learning period though so in 10 days i'll find out what happens. I also agree with the red light infractions. roads here have 55 mph speed limits and then random traffic lights along the way and that counts towards harsh breaking. I also had to use gps the other day and it basically logged my entire trip as an infraction. So far i am not enjoying it, but i'll wait to see before i give my final judgement.
i'm confused on your comments...You said turning on phone or gps count against you? How do you know that? As far as logging you as driving but were the passenger, how can it tell, you can go into the app and say you were the passenger (click the steering wheel icon and say passenger). And using GPS your entire trip as an infraction? What do you mean by that? thanks for clarifying so we all know what you're stating so we understand.
@@cranbers Trip details at the end will tell you that you have an “infraction,” even if it was hands-free calling out/receiving calls.
@@AK47HEAVYMETAL83 Same if you are listening to TH-cam videos. That counts against you too.
@@chrismendonca4522 Damn…So I guess we have to gut radios out of our cars then, right? Lol Just take road trips just listening to the music of road noise is safer by their standards lol
USAA was a good company, recently they increase 40% rate increase. I am a Florida resident, no tickets, no accidents and credit score in the top 1% in the USA. Retired. I dropped them.
I probably will too. Also a FL resident. Been with them 14 years and over the last year my monthly payment has increased $40 twice, so $80/mo over what I was paying last year, same vehicles and coverage. Gimmicky
Who did you replace USAA with for your car insurance?
Who did you transfer ro
Yes. We are all Florida residents wondering who you switched to? You never answer...
I've been with USAA my whole life...never once having an accident. I had a woman run a red light and break my neck, and my back, in two places. I don't drive but, once or twice a month (to the doctors office and grocery, that's it.) I'm having to survive on less than $900 a month Disability (my check, AND I've worked since 14 years old.) I have the minimum PIP and Liability and am paying SO MUCH MONEY. I'm 56 years old, now, and have had USAA for 40+ years.
I'd LOVE to have a less expensive bill! Please help!!
I've used this application and hate it. It says I'm doing things I'm not, (like the "hard braking" issue.) I took the app OFF my phone because of this. (I don't text and drive, or talk on the phone... that's what the woman was doing that hit me and hurt me.) Anyway, I need a break, as every dollar REALLY COUNTS, to me. I'm a retired teacher with a sole income of my disability check. Please reply🙏🏼
All insurance companies have raised rates unfortunately due to inflation and many other factors, that large of an increase for no reason is very steep though. I’m in WA and rate hasn’t changed too much.
USAA app is totally bogus. Dinged 3 times for stopping at red lights, instead of cruising on through. Dinged for checking messages while parked in a parking lot, dinged for checking an address while parked on the street, dinged for using my phone to open the garage door while parked in my driveway.
Never, ever give any insurance company this kind of access to your information. They will use it against you and/or raise your rates. Former Allstate employee.
I’ve always been averse to giving location permissions on my phone until recently, when USAA increased my rate by almost double. I decided “what the hell” and downloaded the SafePilot app. Now I’m regretting that decision and reading all these horror stories. Should I just delete/uninstall the app?
Sorry for the weird question. I just don’t know who to trust anymore and honestly want to say “fuck em all and fuckin no regrets” at this point.
Doesn't work well. Just took a trip with someone else driving and I got dinged for their calls. My sister was sitting in the car, while I went into the store. I called her while in the store and again got dinged for being on the phone. I live in Az and sit in the car with the a/c on, while not driving to make calls when it's 119 degrees out. Again, I get dinged for driving. I'm NOT driving! My car is hands free and it still dings me. Like the discount but I won't qualify in the long run. They need to work these glitches out.
I wish they had an option you could select where you're the driver but the kids were playing games on your phone. Because that's my situation much of the time. If it were only based on my driving, I would be golden.
Thank you for your review. USAA dinged me for using my phone. I was parked with the car on with 100's of people in the same situation. I'm in Vegas. When the temperature is between 90-111 degrees am I supposed to turn the car and the air conditioning off so I could take more of my language class on-line while I waited? I guess next time I think I will be in the same situation, I'll bring a book or magazine with me. They also dinged me repeatedly for being a passenger. Fortunately, I keep a record on my calendar where I have been and knew I was not the driver each time. There was a button that allowed me to note I was the passenger and the app stated that the mark against me was removed. I'm not happy with this program, but will keep with it to see if I can achieve a discount. If it's too sensitive and continually gives false impressions I will leave it.
I have 0 infractions for 3 months and a 97 score. 3 days ago I had a 30% discount, today it dropped to 15% without a change in my score. No explanation.
Did you call them? Inquirie on why that happened? Has it been fixed?
I am currently using usaa safepilot and so far i had a 100 percent score and out of nowhere there was a harsh brake on one of my drives (i wasn’t braking harshly) and my score instantly went to 66 for 1 harsh brake :/
A lot of their scoring seems unfair and arbitrary. My score has dropped dramatically despite no driving. 🤨
@@LkhrobertsonI believe it. I drive about once, or twice, a month to the doctors and grocery shopping (all within 4 miles!) They say I harsh brake, when I don't. It's garbage. I'm in Florida and thinking about dropping USAA, totally. I can't afford my insurance on a less than $900 disability check.
Its not worth it, you get penalized just for driving. I was told that even though I drive safe, I drive to much. Anything over 1hr a day driving takes points away. I drive 30mins to work and another 30 home. So everyday I lose points
What if you airplane mode for some of it?😅
You probably drove more than what you reported when you set up the insurance (annually mileage per year). They are using it against you. If you think you’ll go over, don’t use the app.
Welp, that ruins it for me 😂
@@transparent1608how does that work for those with two cars?
Biggest issue I have with it, is it will kill your phone. Heavy battery usage and causes phone to overheat even when you're not driving.
agree
That's why I can't load it. Eats up my data
Just got on the program, very helpful stuff to help me understand - def worth a cup of coffee. Thanks!
Thanks 🙏🏼 I appreciate the support! ☕️
It’s not made for “modern” drivers. If you’re at a drive thru like Starbucks or McDonald’s and you unlock your phone to pay with the app it dings you as “handling phone” while driving, even if your car is parked. The trip doesn’t end until you turn off your car and the Bluetooth disconnects.
I don't drive often but I received a message saying I haven't moved my vehicle and that bothered me as if I don't drive daily I felt that was a bit much
I live in AZ and if I drive the speed limit, I would get run over and could be the cause of an accident. Insurance companies go by a schedule of rates, and all things being equal other the mileage driven, I should get a better rate when driving 12000 miles per year vs those that drive 50000 miles per year, but I don't. This is very unfair. Very helpful review and I will not be signing up for this.
I live in Houston and drive a truck, so my USAA app Pings harsh braking and phone handling with almost every trip. I listen to Pandora and if I want to replay a tract using the controls on my steering wheel, it logs it as phone handling. Also, if a phone call comes through and I hit my steering wheel control to hang up and keep it from ringing, it record it as a hands free call.
USAA is still an insurance company out to make a profit; I truly doubt they will adjust their app at all. I figured the small discount I get from it is better than nothing and I assume USAA thinks the same way.
I'm a truck driver too, I was hesitant to participate just because of these things. Plus we get cut off all day long out here.
@@DirtBoyTruckerI don't recommend it. They say I do things that I don't.
Here because I just switched to USAA from Geico.
-The app definitely isn't efficient at detecting if you were a driver/passenger.
-24/7 location, physical activity access.
-Handsfree, which is relatively safe, is counted against you.
-The disclosure is worded in a way that pretty much tells you "we're going to do what we want with your information and just use the phrases 'other services' and 'not limited to' to cover it up".
-According to Reddit reviews your rate increases at renewal, so your discount becomes the price you would've been paying anyways essentially.
-But hey enjoy!
Thanks for the info. I'm a few days into my trial period and I had a few drives that were labeled passenger, but you can change that in the app. I've had to correct a few along the way.
@@thebigmammoo how do you change that? I've had it label me as a passenger when I'm driving ALONE in the car. I also got an infraction using my phone in the lobby of the car wash! Any ideas where to report these problems?
U got usaa and wanna make 10k?
Do you like USAA better than Geico?
@@quietlion33Geico is the company who really screwed me when a woman ran a red light (on her phone) breaking my neck and back, in two places.
I'll NEVER go with them on principle alone (GEICO.)
not worth it. Felt invasive. At times my wife would use my phone near me, but I get tagged for using phone. My kids in the back put the phone behind me hanging to watch videos. Also claims I am using the phone. for a family with kids and a wife that wants to use your phone, not worth it.
I'm single, no kids, NEVER use my phone while driving, disabled AND HARDLY DRIVE (maybe 4, 2 mile trips A MONTH, to the doctor and grocery shopping) and I HATE this app.
It says I've "harshly braked," when I never have, and don't... amongst other things.
I think they reduced the harsh breaking sensitivity. I was building up many bad marks for that (without actually breaking harshIy) and then one day they all disappeared. Good thing too because it tempted me to hold up traffic. I don't like that I can't let my kids use my phone when I drive.
I noticed this too, I have a tetsla and it likes to wait late to start braking for a car in front of it. Every time it stopped fast for a car who slowed down late to turn into their driveway on a 50 mph road or sudden stop at a stop light. I thought for sure it would ding me, but it didn't. Doesn't seem to matter though I still only have low 80's on the driving score and thats with all zero's with 2 harsh braking.
Not according to all the recent reviews
I’m not a fan. I was a passenger for a week on a bus in a National park and got dinged with “hard braking” multiple times. The app didn’t notify me of the recorded trips and I couldn’t delete them from my record. My 10% discount was “dinged” one percent for only recoding one week out of a whole month while the app was on the whole time. So, I still got a 9% discount I wouldn’t have gotten. 🤷🏼♀️ I really hate that I can’t use navigation on my phone without getting “dinged”, as well.
@@flygalteach you can go into the app and say you weren't driving on legs that are recorded but you were a passenger
I am a paramedic. I drive my car to work, home, work, store, home.
I drive/ride the next 16 hours in an emergency response truck over night. I go all over the city to many different places, often at faster than the speed limit. We have to break a lot (people don't pull to the right, they stop or pull into the left in front of us or slow down rapidly).
I had to go through my "trips" over and over to mark as a passenger. Not having a way to disconnect when at work makes it useless to me.
if you shut off the location gps on phone it doesnt work (stops recording data on app) or so it appears
when youre the passanger you have select the that option by touching the drive button and selecting passsnger if you were not the driving
Leaving GPS on will cost me more than the small discount
I’ve had USAA 18 yrs I’m about to get rid of my car I’ve yet to get anything from them but I’m constantly giving
I got an "infraction" for stopping at a stop light. It wasn't any different from any other stop light I've stopped at. I'm sick of being treated like a kid to save $12
I am on my first day of the trial and not liking it already. I got a harsh braking infraction for nearly every red light I stopped at, and I was not even close to slamming on the brakes. Until this is improved, this is a big NO from me!
How's it going now? Has it gotten better? Worse?
Usaa says if you drop 8mph within 2 seconds its harsh breaking. So keep a further following distance from car in front. I saw this and only got 1 or 2 harsh breaking and googled it.
I can't keep my location running all the time. It eats up my data.
I'm 81 retired and been with USAA for over 60 years. USAA is not the same company it used to be. They have become just another huge insurance company insuring all comers. I often wonder how much money they spend on TV advertising for a limited audience that could be used to lower rates. I consider my wife and I very safe drivers and this past year my insurance cost went up 50% and 100% in last 2 years (same cars) with only one minor fender bender in last 10 years and no tickets no nothing. We live in an urban environment hardly use our car phone and never while moving. But, I don't want to be dinged/bothered for rarely using my phone or passenger using theirs or braking what they consider too harsh when it is not. Driving can be stressful enough without being constantly communicated by USAA/phone. As someone said "l have to keep on top of it constantly"- not me.
As of today, the Harsh Braking parameters are still far too sensitive
and still are, one year later...
@@doubletee2839I agree 100%, as of 4/14/2024.👍🏼👍🏼
Just signed up and still in the 14 day trial period. Not happy so far. I don’t understand why you get penalized for hands free calling. I get having infractions for phone handling but if I need to make a phone call, I should be able to do so without being penalized if I’m not touching my phone. Might be getting rid of it
What was your opinion after your period? Did you continue to use the program?
I wish to sign up for the 14th day insurance program
I wish to sign up for the USAA program in order to get a discount.
James E. Lee, auto insurance program
I am currently one week into my trial period with USAA , and so far it's going ok bit I have had to turn it off because it as you mentioned there was no other option when I was in my friends car and I was not driving,but something else that is very strange is happening since I have downloaded the app that I thought should be me mentioned is that I am suddenly getting tons of spam text messages, I dont know that it's related bit wanted to mention it and wonder if anyone else has or is experiencing this? other than that and not being able to " switch to passenger mode" is already problematic, I will post more comments after my trial period ends and give a better review. Thank you for all the information and giving us a chance to connect & learn about others experiences. I am in Florida and insurance here is ridiculous simply because I am in this state any help or knowledge I can get is helpful. Thank you for taking the time to post your videos & I will let you know how my experience with USAA driving app goes as I use it more. ( not happy that it always has to be on 365 a year)
If you look at the trip details, there’s a steering wheel in there. Click that and it’ll say “I was the passenger.” Select that and it won’t log your trip. So far that’s the only thing right about it
I rarely drive and use uber alot. the app is often reads my uber or passenger with friends rides as me driving. I had to continually check and correct this mis-read of my traveling. the HARD part is the app is so slow that each attempted correction that I was a passenger and not a driver would take several minutes for the app to respond. finally I couldn't stand having to go thru the time consuming process and the frequent misreads that I was driving when I was not. Fix you app USAA.
Another recent video says it's okay to turn off the app while you are at work/using a vehicle at work.
Awesome and informational video; the app is better in some ways, but it may be worse in others as of more recent use. You can claim that you were a passenger rather than a driver now but I find myself using that feature ridiculously often as it rarely identifies a drive where I'm not behind the wheel. I find it very difficult to get my score up even with perfect driving almost all the time. As a teen driver, rate reductions can be incredibly helpful, and being locked at 17% because of one (hands free!!) phone call is extremely frustrating. Not horrible, but not for everyone.
I just spoke with them about this!! I’m not harsh braking and they says it on one of mines…. But USAA is extremely high and every year goes up in Georgia and our roads is terrible!!! I can use hands free it’s safer!!! But it not a great system
I just started using it and am in my trial period. I'm fortunate because I really hate talking on the phone and I'm able to use my Android Auto for Spotify and Google Maps without having to touch my phone. My wife has to be on the phone quite a bit during her drives so I don't think she'll be enrolling, even if I can get her an Android Auto stereo for her vehicle. That hands free phone use is a deal breaker for her.
I'm gonna ride it out a bit more, but saving anything less than $40 a month isn't worth the invasion of privacy to me.
keep in mind just enrolling gives you a discount, if you are the worst driver in the world you still get a discount for letting usaa have all your data.
So with the iPhone you can turn this off without cancelling the app. Go to settings, then privacy, then motion and fitness, the toggle the usaa button to off by making the green go away. If you are using a ride share like Uber or Lyft definitely do this before or if you drive for work like door dash or Uber eats. If you drive with the motion abs fitness turned off then it’s not registering a drive for you when you’re actually driving. Then turn it back on using the same steps when you want it to record again. Don’t stop the app or delete the app.
is it possible to do this on an android do you know?
The problem with this us they know when you are turning it off
It showed me breaking hard on a road I never stopped on. It had me breaking hard and driving on a side road I wasn't on. It shows me making phone calls when I use Google maps. Not a very good program. I'm sure my savings would be around zero when the reduction would take effect next January.
I started this program and my wife and co workers who seen me drive make fun of me how safe and slow I am. yet the usaa app said I break harshley and I have an 80 on my driving score. That right there tells me all I need to know that this app is either flawed or so strict that even the safest driver isn't going to get more then a 10 percent discount for enrolling. I have zero phone usage, and 1 or 2 harsh breaking scores in the last month of use. So again 80 out of 100? On my driving score? Seriously? What qualifies as 100? or even 90 or 85?
Either the app is completely flawed, or they're scoring you on all kinds of things they're not telling you about... or both. I drove to Home Depot today, 3miles each way, light traffic, no infractions report by the app. After I get home I check the app and notice I'm scoring 62... yesterday it was 92. How did I drop 30pts with a short drive and no reported infractions?
@@phobbes4-zero I was at 100 during the "learning phase". And it went down to 80 after its supposed to be counting. Right now its an 81. I have all zeros and one harsh braking. I do go with the flow of traffic on the highway which is 78 in a 70. So maybe thats it? Why wouldn't they explain the score if there are other factors then phone handling hands free calling hand held calling and harsh braking?
Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if this app is just a way to get people to drive more safely with a false sense they will get a large discount but really only get the 10 percent. Imagine how much money they would lose if even a fraction of their customers got 30 percent off their insurance bill. In this way they get everyone driving safer saving them money but they can still roll the money in. Same with Tesla being more expensive to insure yet its the safest car with the most safety features of anything out there. yet they charge more to insure it, interesting right.
I hate this app. I answer texts at red lights and my apps don’t work when I plug in sometimes so I gotta grab my phone and fix everything at the red light and then the pilot apps counts all that and it’s not fair smh I don’t touch my phone when I’m actually driving
I agree with the issue of hard breaking. The area I live in has a US highway which is the main road people use. Even though it is a major road, there are a lot of traffic control lights. Harsh breaking is inevitable. There's just no way you'll make all the lights. I'm new to the program so I don't have any other complaints as of yet.
I started using it and wish I’d never started. You can bet that they sell the data they collect as well.
I called them yesterday. You need to drive 350 miles in 6 months. They want you to use the app forever.
Will having scores below 50 all the time, will it increase my rates.
It will not increase at all using the app
I wouldn't believe indigomarine91.
I've had this app. for 13 months and have driven 9,300 annual hours and I have zero infractions for this period. My current score is an 86 and there telling me the score is lowering because of these hours. FYI this averages out to 11.92 hours a month... I'm just not getting this decrease any ideas.
No matter how you squish and squint with your math... the SafePilot app thinks you drive more than 24 hours a day for 13 months straight... and would assume you and your co-pilot take turns sleeping... but never stop to pee or get gas. Might want to check those numbers again. :) For example, 9300 hours divided by 24 hours in a day would equal 387 days and 12 hours... of driving and no sleeping and no stopping. Are you human Tesla, lol?
Something whacko here. I just started using the app a week ago so don't know if it reports "hours" driving. However, assuming it does, 9300 hours of driving at an assumed average speed of 45 would be 9300 x 45 (mph) = 418,500 miles annually. And also, maybe 14 sets of new tires if you changed every 30,000 miles. IF instead, the 9300 annual hours was actually 9300 miles, that would mean 25.5 miles a day.
I can't get it to load to my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S23, which is the last model, and it stalls at step 3. I called USAA and spent an hour on the phone with their experts and they couldn't figure it out. They said they were going to put in a ticket and fix it. That was 2 months ago and it still doesn't work.
Punishes you for using Waze (hands free) and receiving a phone call that is handled hands-free. Too often, you get harsh, breaking punishment for not running a red light.
My biggest complaints are the harsh braking, getting dinged when I'm a passenger in another vehicle, and my end of use was getting dinged for phone handling while parked. Granted the engine was running but it eas about 116 degrees
I also am not going to let it track me all the time. I dont do anything nefarious, but don't like big brother's nose over my shoulder all the time.
The final straw was after reloading the app it would never send me the verification code
you can go into the app and say you weren't driving on legs that are recorded but you were a passenger
@@captain767erWe know.
I installed the app on an extra phone that was connected to my phone’s hotspot. Then I could use my phone with no problem and have flawless trips. Still with one harsh braking here and there my rating is 80 and projected discount of 23%.
I don't like it. My average driving time is an 1hour 10 minutes ... there are days it's two hours, and im a supervisor. So im constantly getting calls. But if im using hands free, why is that counted against me. I thought the whole point was to not touch your phone and have your hands on the steering wheel. Im in traffic 90% of the time, and even when im not harsh breaking, it penalized you. I tried to leave a review on the android app, but they set it up so they can receive any more reviews.
It starts over 6 months it is sensitive with stop and phone moving is a problem. I got a good discount
Previously i got dinged for phone use while parked. Always showing phone use when i was only a passenger.
I have had it 2 years and get a 30% discount but it misreads things terribly and l have to keep on top of it constantly
They don't track speed however the phone handling and the other phone parts of the app have alot of glitches I'll drive with out using my phone and it'll say I've used hands free or had phone handling and I didn't use my phone period.
Great, thorough review; thank you! These are the insights I was looking for when looking in to the new app option
Apparently I'm a horrible '77%' driver, because I've had some 'harsh braking' and some hands-free uses. Haven't had an accident of any kind since 1986, and have 1 ticket in the last 25 years. All that and just a 9% discount. The hands-free penalty is absolutely ridiculous.
We've been a USAA family for decades, but I'm fast losing faith in USAA.
About the same driving record here. "HARSH BRAKING" as opposed to NOT REACTING to possible collisions ? idk. I am not an aggressive driver imo... I KEEP a safe distance between my car and the cars ahead of me (roughly one car length per 10mph). Curious why my stellar driving history for 44 years is not studied by their matrix and encouraged in others...lol. Banging a 70% , deeply saddened. Still love USAA though.
Seems they have removed the premium driver discounts now and are forcing you to use this telematics to get a discount. between this and the really poor showing on a windshield rock strike claim I too am losing faith in a company I have bragged about for years
I'm not keen about using their stolen software. Auto Telematics Ltd. USAA turned the company away, stole their idea without patent. USAA took the share that company should've had and resulted in that Auto Telematics Ltd. downfall. That's a shame!
@@okdk7I agree with everything except "still loving USAA."
Big Brother infringement!
I also think that USAA is a great company and has great customer service but I don't care for this application which constantly records every location your phone goes to and you cannot disconnect from it without risk of losing your discount. This means when I got in my friend's car it was recording his driving record and locations as if I was in my vehicle. I'm a little Disturbed knowing that I'm constantly tracked even if I walk somewhere.
I'm retired and live in a rural area and I do not put many miles on at all. What I don't like is I have to keep signing in and verifying my eligibility on the app every time I get in the vehicle. Otherwise I have to leave the app running on my phone all the time which drains the battery. It would be nice if the app could sense when I'm in the vehicle driving and when I'm not and turn off.
I just signed up but I don’t drive that much so I don’t know if it’s worth it. I guess time will tell.
IMO, it's not. They don't gauge one's driving correctly. I drive SO LITTLE and repeatedly get "harsh braking," when I don't harshly brake. Plus, I NEVER use my phone in the car.
Too much infringement on my rights and with NOTHING CORRECT.
Day 1 of my 14-day trial and I believe I'm a pretty good driver so, this will be interesting to see how they rate me. I'll let you all know in 14 days.
So what happened?😅
thanks for the update champ!
Mark, great video! My only complaint about the USAA Safe Pilot app is, What is the score breakdown??? It would be helpful to know, A score of 90 will earn the driver a 30% discount, a score above 80 will earn the driver a 20% discount, and a score above 70 will earn the driver a 10% discount. The lack of clarity and ability to realize the "30% discount goal" is upsetting and (from what most people are saying) unattainable. Clearer goals/score relation would be helpful + dropping the Bluetooth phone handling is a must. Thanks again for your great video.
You’re welcome
About the same driving record here. "HARSH BRAKING" as opposed to NOT REACTING to possible collisions ? idk. I am not an aggressive driver imo... I KEEP a safe distance between my car and the cars ahead of me (roughly one car length per 10mph). Curious why my stellar driving history for 44 years is not studied by their matrix and encouraged in others...lol. Banging a 70% , only issues are HARSH BRAKING ... deeply saddened. Still love USAA though.
I've had a perfect 100% for many months, today mine dropped to 93% with zeros on all trips, i barely drive and i usually stick to the speed limit.
Which tells me they are factoring in other data such as how much you drive, cornering, speed, etc. That's one of the things that bothers me about this app. They're not upfront about how ALL the data collected factors into your score. Probably because the fine print would be hundreds of pages.
The Braking is too sensitive. I am very careful to avoid harsh braking but still get penalized.
It can not differentiate what vehicle your driving and whether or not if your driving. Mine recently told me I drove well when I was the passenger. If you're s first responder(driver), DO NOT CARRY YOUR PHONE TO WORK if this app is running. (You CANNOT turn it off)
You sign out of the app while you're on duty.
I drive for work and can't untrack data when I'm not in my personal vehicle.
Passenger detection is wrong. Should be an active option.
Needs 250+ miles a month to calculate data efficiently. Allegedly.
30% off and then they raise your rates 40% every time you renew
IF THAT! Which no one ever gets. I get "harsh braking," and NEVER do it, nor do I EVER use my phone while driving.
I HATE this app.
I got one harsh braking fault in the last month it lowered my scored to 92. It doesn’t show any other faults and today my score went down to 83. I only drive about 2 miles each way to work. I’m not sure why it lowered my score again.
You have to be careful with this or any apps watching your driving habits? They are looking for reasons to charge you more $$ or find reasons for there benefit usually. How many miles you drive is usually a guess and they want a better picture for there benefit not ours? Not fair for consumers. Scares me too.
I am interested how, in my car, my own phone and/or my husband's, manages the gps system. It seems it counts that against phone handling score.
It should know when you’re a passenger vs driver. If it does it incorrectly you can tell it you were not the driver before it calculates the score
However, when I am the driver and my phone is controlling the gps it should not count as "phone handling."
Thank you for the good info.
Has anyone else noticed that there cellular data is suddenly being using up since starting Safe Pilot?
YES
Very very sensitive to any braking. Also doesn't count when someone pulls out in front of you or if an animal runs across the road in front of you and you brake to avoid hitting it.
Phone handling. Can't differentiate if you pull over & stop in parking lot and call someone to clarify directions or look up something. Also can't differentiate if you are using phone for direction guidance.
Thank you for your research and time, this was a great tool for me in research.
You’re welcome ☺️
At asked about the time and they said 300 miles or 4hrs of driving.
How does it count against me, if I'm using my phone for GPS or if my kids are using my phone in the back seat?
It doesn’t count against you for using the gps unless you keep handling the phone. If your kids want to use your phone, after your drive, go to app and if it dings you, you can mark the ride as, “I was a passenger” and it won’t be counted against you.
So if you've driven over 20mi with no infractions, then they state you're a passenger to screw you out of the discount. This is the dumbest crap!
You can manually change wether you were a driver or passenger
I get 30% off consistently. I will say that with no recorded events, my score goes down to 90%. I drive less than 6k miles a year.
This was a very useful review... I will never use it. LOL!!!!
😂 thank you 😊
😂😂😂😂😂😂✍🏾
I've been using the app since my renewal last November, and I agree with what most others have said about the harsh braking dinging. My initial suspicions were when I downloaded the app in the beginning, would this affect my premiums in any way? Just the other day, 1-10-23, I received a notice from USAA to revie a document ref my auto ins. Granted, I just renewed two months ago, they're adding a mid-policy increase, which has NEVER happened before! I called and the rep really couldn't explain why, nor could she explain why all of a sudden my 06 Cadillac STS premium for other than collision, surpassed my 2015 Ford Explorer Limited! I asked if it was related to the App, and of course she denied it, but it's so Very Obvious!
Im at 96 and don't show any infractions.
I added the Safe-Pilot and balked when it asked for permission to "make and manage" my calls. Sorry that's just a bit too intrusive.
It worked for us for a few months, but now I keep getting messages from USAA saying they are not getting data. I have my settings as per their requirements and I've talked to their help desk. They think the problem may be that i don't drive 200 miles/month that would give them the data they need. They do, however, give me the discount, but it is tiresome to always have to fight it. Glad to know about the hands off issue. We use traffic and maps apps when driving.
We have the same issue. I checked today and found the last trip registered was three weeks ago, and we drive almost every day.
Can your rates increase if you are a bad driver according to the app?
No they cant increase it.
The telephone portion indicates usage even if the phone is move any. I placed my phone in a box on the back seat. At the end of my drive it showed i had used the phone. No one ever gets the 30 percent. I never, never, never touch my phone during a drive and over a 4 month period it showed 22 phone usages. As i said i tested it by putting it in a box on the back seat. NOT a good app. It shows at renewal i will receive a 12 percent discount. I have checked and with another company my insurance would be 20 percent less without a safe driving discount. Looks like USAA lost another customer.
Thanks for the info.
Who'd you switch to, and in what State?
I'm in Florida, and have had USAA for over 40 years. They're a big disappointment, and I hardly ever even drive! (I'm disabled from a bad wreck, that wasn't my fault, and it was proven.) I drive maybe four times a month, and less than 4 miles. I live in a college town, so, apparently, I'm penalized for kids, in wrecks.
What kind of discount can I expect if I’m going 20 mph over the speed limit 90% of the time I’m driving? I don’t plan on slowing down either because everyone else goes 20 mph over and speed variation is the #1 cause of accidents. Ironically, speeding is safer than not speeding where I live.
What about AARP