USAA SafePilot® FAQ

The USAA SafePilot program offers a chance to earn a discount for your safe driving habits with the USAA DriveSafe™ App. First, you’ll receive up to a 10% participation discount on your auto insurance policy for enrolling and participating in the USAA SafePilot program. Once you download and set up the USAA DriveSafe App, it will automatically begin tracking your driving behavior, starting with a 14-day learning period. The learning period gives you a chance to learn how the app works, and gets to know your driving behaviors, before trips are considered towards your score.

When the learning period ends, you’ll have a fresh start for the remainder of your policy period. After you’ve driven an additional combination of 325 miles and 16 hours, you’ll be able to view your projected household discount of up to 30% for your next policy term.

Participation in the USAA SafePilot program won’t ever raise your premium. It’s simply a way to show you how well you’re driving and help you potentially earn a safe driving discount.

At every policy term renewal, we’ll reset your driving score and give you another fresh start.

Once you’ve signed up to participate in the USAA SafePilot program, you’ll receive a text message as part of your enrollment inviting you to download the free USAA DriveSafe App. Tapping the link in the text message will take you to the appropriate app store for your mobile device.

You can also visit the Apple App Store for iOS Opens in New window or the Google Play Store for Android Opens in New window to download the USAA DriveSafe App.

After downloading and opening the app, you’ll be asked to:

1. Verify your enrollment by entering the same phone number you used when you enrolled your policy in the program.
2. Agree to the terms and conditions.
3. Enable your device’s permissions to allow the app to log and score your trips.
4. Begin the learning period.

Learn how to download and setup USAA DriveSafe on Android devices. Opens in New window

Learn how to download and setup USAA DriveSafe on iOS devices. Opens in New window

The learning period is a 14-day grace period that begins as soon as your first trip is recorded. It’s intended to help you understand how your trips and driving infractions are recorded without penalty.

After 14 days, you’ll have a fresh start for the remainder of your policy period. The trips you take during the learning period won’t count toward your score or discount.

At this time, the USAA DriveSafe App doesn’t differentiate between a vehicle or driver making decisions on the road. All driving infractions count toward your score.

To get the highest possible driving score, we always recommend driving with caution. This could mean increasing your following distance to help you brake earlier before you reach an intersection or a slowdown.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

Currently, the program is only available in select locations. The USAA SafePilot® program is currently available in all U.S. locations except California, Delaware, and New Jersey. Additional restrictions apply for Massachusetts Unregistered policies. USAA SafePilot program is not available in U.S. territories or internationally. If you move to a state that does not offer USAA SafePilot, you will no longer be eligible for the USAA SafePilot discount.

The following devices are compatible with the USAA DriveSafe App:

• iOS devices running iOS 15.0 and later.
• Android devices running Android 12.0 and later.

Learn how to download and setup USAA DriveSafe on Android devices. Opens in New window

Learn how to download and setup USAA DriveSafe on iOS devices. Opens in New window

The USAA DriveSafe App is designed to use the least amount of battery possible. Although battery usage can vary from device to device, most people generally won’t notice any change in battery usage after installing the USAA DriveSafe App.

You can remove yourself from the program at any time.

The USAA DriveSafe App runs in the background and gathers details about each trip you take, including:

• Location
• Time of day
• If you’re the passenger or driver
• Phone Handling
• Hand-held Calling
• Hands-free Calling
• Harsh Braking
• Annualized Hours Driven
• Potential accidents detected

Your USAA DriveSafe App driving data will be used to calculate a driving score and any potential discounts you may receive on your auto insurance policy. Additionally, USAA may use your driving data from the app when you file a claim after an accident. This often helps speed up the claims process for you.

We take your privacy seriously and will not share your driving data.

We share your driving data with our third party service providers as necessary for the administration of the USAA SafePilot program. We do not share your driving data with third parties for their own use, or to marketing companies. Review the SafePilot Privacy Policy and Program Terms and Conditions for more details on what driving data is collected by the USAA DriveSafe App and how it is used.

No, not exclusively. The USAA DriveSafe App will use the sensors on your phone to collect driving data. The transmission of your data from your phone to USAA requires an active data plan, but may rely on Wi-Fi when available. Wi-Fi can also be used to assist with GPS coordination for more accurate information.

The USAA DriveSafe App is designed to use the least amount of battery possible. Although battery usage can vary from device to device, most people generally won’t notice any change in battery usage after installing the USAA DriveSafe App.

No, the USAA DriveSafe App can’t run if the device is turned off.

We base your USAA SafePilot discount on your driving score, which you'll see in the USAA DriveSafe App. This driving score is determined by many factors including harsh braking, phone handling, and how many hours you drive. To ensure you receive the highest possible discount, USAA encourages you to practice safe driving habits while behind the wheel.

Each policy period we will use your household’s trip data to determine which drivers have met the requirements for an earned discount. Each participating driver must log at least 325 miles and 16 hours driven each policy period to be eligible for a score and discount.

If there are multiple drivers on your policy, we’ll base the discount on the scores of the drivers participating in the program.

We recommend that all eligible drivers participate so your policy is eligible for the maximum discount.

An eligible driver is:

• Inside the participating area.
• Currently in good standing with USAA.
• One who has a driver's license.
• Listed as a driver on the policy.

Your score will be calculated based upon the following:

• Phone Handling
• Hand-held Calling
• Hands-free Calling
• Harsh Braking
• Annualized Hours Driven

After you enroll in the USAA SafePilot program, we’ll apply a participation discount of up to 10% to your auto insurance policy immediately after enrollment.

Before your policy renews, we’ll use your household's trip data to determine which drivers have met the requirements for an earned discount.

We’ll apply the earned discount from qualified drivers to your policy’s next term at renewal and remove their participation discount. The policy term’s effective date is referenced in the USAA DriveSafe App on the discount tab.

No. We will only use your driving data to calculate your discount. Your driving score won’t have any negative impact on your auto insurance policy rate, although your rate may vary based on other factors not related to your participation in USAA SafePilot.

It can be. Your discount depends on two factors:

1. The number of eligible drivers on the policy who are enrolled in the USAA SafePilot program. If eligible drivers are not enrolled, then the participation discount will reflect that.
2. The scores of the drivers enrolled in the USAA SafePilot program on the policy. If you add an eligible driver, that person’s driving score will be factored into the overall driving score

With the USAA SafePilot program, you can save up to 30% on your policy. Here’s how the discounts work:

Participation discount: You can get up to 10% off just by joining. If everyone on your policy joins, you get the full 10%. If some drivers don’t join, the discount is less. This discount lasts for 365 days or until we gather enough info to calculate your earned discount, whichever comes first.

Earned discount: Each driver needs to drive at least 325 miles and 16 hours. We use this driving info to figure out your earned discount before your policy ends. We must start calculating the renewal earlier than the end of the term to meet state requirements. Your score locks during this time, and you get the full discount for the next coverage period.

To maximize your earned discount, make sure each driver meets the minimum driving requirements before the score locks. 

If you don’t meet these requirements but haven’t been in the program for 365 days, you still get the participation discount.

The score lock date is when we lock the score for a short time to process the discount before your policy renews. We use the driving data from participants to calculate your earned discount. Each state has different requirements for when the score needs to be set.

If all your vehicles are in storage, you won’t be eligible to receive an earned discount. If at least one vehicle isn’t in storage, you may be eligible to receive an earned discount. Additionally, to be eligible to receive a discount, the vehicles on your policy must be classified and rated as private passenger automobiles that are not in storage. The state you live in may also affect your discount.

For more details, see Program Terms & Conditions.

We understand you may use your phone for music, navigation or other phone apps while driving. As long as you secure your mobile device before the trip starts and don’t interact with your phone while driving, you will avoid a phone-handling infraction.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

We define phone handling as any time your mobile device is being held, moved, tapped or swiped while you’re driving.

To get the highest possible driving score, we recommend opening the apps you’d like to use before you begin driving and placing your phone in a secure location to prevent significant movement that could result in an infraction.

We also recommend you avoid letting passengers use your phone while you’re driving. The USAA SafePilot App will record phone-handling infractions even if it’s not you using the phone.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

Hands-free calling occurs when you make or answer a call using your vehicle’s Bluetooth system. Even though you may not physically touch your phone for these calls, they still require attention and brainpower that can negatively affect your driving.

We understand you may need to make or answer calls while driving. For your safety, we recommend keeping them to a minimum.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

Hands-free calling occurs when you make or answer a call using your vehicle’s Bluetooth system. Even though you may not physically touch your phone for these calls, they still require attention and brainpower that can negatively affect your driving.

We understand you may need to make or answer calls while driving. For your safety, we recommend keeping them to a minimum.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

Harsh braking is a sharp decrease in speed over a short distance. Specifically, if your speed decreases more than about 8.25 mph in a second, that’s considered a harsh brake.

To get the highest possible driving score, we always recommend driving with caution. This could mean beginning to brake earlier and over a longer distance before reaching an intersection or a slowdown.

We understand there may be situations that require you to brake suddenly, but these should be kept to a minimum.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

Your annualized hours driven are a projection of how much you would drive in a year. We make the projection based on your driving during your current policy term.

In general, we recommend that you place your phone in a secure location before you drive to ensure the most accurate driving behavior detection. This may help avoid detection of inaccurate infractions, ensuring you receive the best discount. This will help you avoid infractions that might be recorded if you drive over potholes and speed bumps, or another unexpected movement causes your phone to move.

We also recommend that you avoid letting passengers use your phone when you’re driving. The USAA DriveSafe App records phone-handling infractions even if it’s not you who’s using the device.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

We understand that some members, such as first responders or truck drivers, may need to drive a lot of miles or drive aggressively as part of their job.

If you do not want the USAA DriveSafe App to record your driving during work hours, please try:

• Signing out of the USAA DriveSafe App before your shift.
• Turning off your device during your shift.

Remember to sign in or turn on your device during personal driving trips—this will help ensure you meet the minimum driving requirements to be able to receive a discount.

Your driving score is calculated based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction won’t substantially impact your score.

No. The USAA DriveSafe App runs in the background and will track your driving without having to open the app.

The USAA DriveSafe App uses phone sensors to detect when the vehicle is in motion and considers that the start of the trip. It’s possible, however, that the sensors can begin recording a trip up to a quarter mile from the actual starting point. Phone sensors also determine the end of a trip.

The USAA DriveSafe App may have perceived a long period of stopping as the end of a trip. This won’t affect your driving score in a negative way.

In the event the USAA DriveSafe App marks a trip status incorrectly, you can change the status.

Please follow these steps to correct a trip:

1. Navigate to the trip details page of your trip.
2. Tap on the drop down at the top of the screen.
3. Select the correct status (driver or passenger).

The USAA DriveSafe App will show up to 14 days of recorded trips.

Trip status cannot be changed to impact your score after 14 days.

Trip status cannot be changed to affect your score once it has been locked to determine any applicable renewal discount, even if it has been less than 14 days.

Your safety is our top priority. If a potential accident is detected, we’ll reach out to make sure you’re OK and provide options for you to quickly file a claim. If needed, you’ll be able to call 911 directly from the app.

Just as it does to understand your driving habits, the algorithm in the USAA DriveSafe App can use the mobile device’s GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer and other sensors to detect a potential accident.

If you have notifications enabled, the app will send you an alert when a potential accident has been detected. We’ll ask if you’re OK and provide options for you to quickly file a claim. If needed, you’ll be able to call 911 directly from the app.

Your score and discount won’t be affected if an accident is detected.

No. The USAA DriveSafe App is equipped with crash detection for all users.

It's unlikely a crash would be detected in those instances.

Simply tap “No” when the app asks if you were in an accident after you complete your trip. No further action is needed.

There are a number of reasons why this may happen. The app is designed to detect major events, but may not detect all events. Make sure the USAA DriveSafe App is up to date and enable it to send notifications.

Yes. You’ll need to enable notifications on the USAA DriveSafe App to receive alerts if a potential accident has been detected.

To enable notifications:

1. Open the USAA DriveSafe App.
2. Tap the menu.
3. Tap "Settings."
4. Tap "Notifications."
5. Slide the "Trips" button to the right.

USAA may use your driving information from the app when you or someone else files a claim after an accident. This could help speed up the claims process.

Possible reasons:

• Location permissions, motion and fitness, or app background refresh settings have been disabled. To check your settings, close the USAA DriveSafe App, then reopen it and the Permissions Manager will prompt you on any settings that need fixed.
• Your trip was too short. A trip won’t record if the distance was less than .25 miles.
• If your iOS or Android device is in a low power mode, the trip won’t record. If it’s enabled during a trip, the remainder of the trip won’t be recorded and the information that was recorded can’t be uploaded until the device is out of low power mode.
• The operating system and third-party Android apps that are used for battery optimization, also known as app or task killers, can stop USAA SafePilot from running in the background.
• Specific settings vary by application and phone model. In general, you should be able to keep USAA SafePilot from being automatically disabled.
• We also recommend reopening the USAA DriveSafe App to ensure you’ve verified your enrollment and the app is running.

The USAA DriveSafe App uses data from a variety of sensors on your mobile device to understand your driving behavior. In order to access these sensors, we need your explicit permission.

The following permissions are required to allow the USAA DriveSafe App to monitor your driving:

1. Location Services permission allows us to analyze your trips.
2. Motion Activity permission to save you a substantial amount of battery power by using the information your phone is already collecting via a specialized low power processor.

Both permissions are necessary to allow the USAA DriveSafe App to monitor your driving and provide you advice on being a safer driver.

The USAA DriveSafe App uses data from a variety of sensors on your mobile device to understand your driving behavior. In order to access these sensors, we need your explicit permission.

The following permissions are required to allow the USAA DriveSafe App to monitor your driving:

1. Location permission allows us to analyze your trips.
2. Phone permission so we can accurately measure distracted driving. We don’t log, listen to or store anything about your calls.

Both permissions are necessary to allow the USAA DriveSafe App to monitor your driving and provide you advice on being a safer driver.

To make sure the USAA DriveSafe App is always up to date, please follow the following steps:

Automatically update in iOS:

• Tap Settings > iTunes & App Store.
• If you’re not already signed in, sign in with your Apple ID.
• Turn on the content that you want to automatically download, in this case “Updates.”

1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap “Menu” and then “Settings.”
3. Tap “Auto-update apps.”
4. Select an option:

a. “Auto-update apps at any time”: Updates apps at any time, using either Wi-Fi or mobile data.

b. “Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only”: Updates only when you are connected to Wi-Fi.

If you decide not to automatically update your apps, you’ll need to manually update the USAA DriveSafe App.

Manually update in iOS:

1. Open the App Store and tap “Updates.”
2. If updates are available, tap “Update All”, or find the app you’d like to update and tap “Update.”
3. If asked, enter your Apple ID password.

Manually update in Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap “Menu” and then “My Apps & Games.”
3. Apps with an update available are labeled “Update.”
4. Tap “Update All” to update all apps. For individual apps, find the specific app you want to update and tap “Update.”

There are 3 possible reasons why you might not have received a text message during setup:

1. USAA’s text message system is experiencing a system delay.
2. We have the wrong mobile phone number on file for each participant.
3. You may have blocked text messages from USAA.

If USAA’s text message system is experiencing a system delay, please try again in a few hours.

If we have the wrong mobile phone number on file, please go through the Update Participant Phone Numbers flow and re-enter the mobile phone number for each participant.

If you’ve blocked text messages from USAA, text “START," "UNSTOP," or "YES" to 855-242-6088 and we’ll re-enable your ability to receive messages from USAA.

This can happen if “Background App Refresh” has already been disabled globally. To remedy this, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. From the Permissions screen, tap “Enable” next to “Background App Refresh.”
2. You’ll be met with a dialogue. Tap “Change Settings.”
3. On this screen, you’ll notice that “Background App Refresh” is grayed out.
4. To solve this, back out to the main Settings screen and tap “General.”
5. Then tap “Background App Refresh.”
6. And then “Enable Background App Refresh” at the top.
7. Finally, open the USAA DriveSafe App again and you should see “Background App Refresh Enabled.”

If your mobile number doesn’t change, all you need to do is download the USAA DriveSafe App and log on to your account.

If your mobile number changes:

1. Log on to your account on usaa.com.
2. Go to your “Auto Insurance Policy.”
3. Select a vehicle and scroll down to the “USAA SafePilot Options.”
4. Select “Add or Remove Participants and Update Phone Numbers” and follow the instructions to change your number.
5. Download and log on to the USAA DriveSafe App.

In order for the USAA SafePilot App to capture all of your trips without you having to think about it, the app will always run in the background in a low-power state.

The Android operating system shows a notification for apps running in the background like this but doesn’t offer a way to dismiss the notification.