According to a recent article published by The Guardian, a new mother in Philly gave birth in a moving Tesla. However, what’s more interesting is that the birth happened in the front seat while the car was driving with assistance from Tesla Autopilot.
The publication says this may be the world’s first “Tesla baby,” and it’s “a good news story for Tesla, which has been plagued by bad publicity over safety concerns and workplace abuse.” Before jumping to conclusions and assuming this pregnant woman made unsafe choices, continue reading.
It was a situation that may have been unavoidable. The original story, which was published by the Philadelphia Inquirer, explains that Tesla owners Yiran and Keating Sherry were heading to drop off their son at school when Yiran’s water broke. Sadly, they were stuck in traffic with no way to get to the hospital.
Apparently, the whole situation unfolded rather quickly. Yiran was having contractions, which were increasing to the point that they figured they would probably never make it to the hospital, though stopping wasn’t really an option either. Traffic was creeping along, so Keating put the car in Autopilot and set the Tesla’s navigation destination to take them to the hospital, some 20 minutes away.
Keating kept a hand on the steering wheel as he tried to help his wife. He shared with the Inquirer:
“She was squeezing my hand to the point where I thought she was going to shatter it. I was [saying] ‘Yiran, OK, focus on your breathing.’ That was advice to myself, as well. My adrenaline was pumping.”
Yiran was hoping to be able to wait until they got to the hospital to deliver the baby. She didn’t know whether she should try to push or try to hold back. However, in the end, she decided there was no turning back. As the car was arriving at the hospital, Yiran gave birth in the car.
Fortunately, there were no issues, Yiran was fine, and the “Tesla baby” was healthy. While the couple considered naming the newborn “Tess,” they decided on Maeve Lily.
This is just one of those freak situations in which systems like Tesla’s Autopilot, or related technology such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and automotive emergency braking can help in ways some may not expect.
Head down to our comment section and let us know your thoughts on this situation. Was there another, safer option? What would you do?
Source: Guardian
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