My Tesla Saves The Day

Tesla Saves The Day

Recently, a car just like mine crashed in Texas killing the two occupants. The crash was blamed on the car and its self driving technology. It was some of the worst reporting I have ever seen. Later, it was found that the car that crashed did not even have Full Self Driving capability. When the guy bought the car, he didn't pay the extra money for it. But, allow me to tell a short story about something that happened to me yesterday. 

While driving north on I-505 about 20 miles out of Vacaville, CA, I became intimately familiar with one of the many safety features of my 2019 Tesla Model S, a car exactly like the one in Texas with one exception: My car does have Full Self Driving capability. Everything was operating normally. I was following some cars in front of me traveling at about 70 mph, and I was in the right hand lane of the freeway. The weather was nice and that stretch of road is really pretty boring. And then without notice, I woke up. You read that correctly. I had fallen totally asleep. I'm not talking about dozing off or nodding at the wheel. I was asleep. I heard the "wake up" alarm and opened my eyes, and I found that I was still following the car in front of me at the proper distance, and that my car had slowed down to 55 mph to maintain a proper following distance between me and the car in front of me. I was still in my lane. Autopilot had saved me from a very bad accident. 

Here's what would have happened if I didn't wake up, or if I had suffered a heart attack and died: Had I not awakened, my car would have turned on the emergency flashers and pulled off onto the shoulder of the road and placed itself in park. It would have then called 911. It would do all of this while avoiding possible conflicting traffic. 

I can't remember the last time that I had a hard time staying awake while driving. In this case, the previous day and night had been exceedingly stressful, and it all just caught up with me on that long boring stretch of concrete. I think that this kind of technology is going to be the future. It's not perfect yet, and certain features of Full Self Driving are still not activated within the Tesla package. But it has some very good features that are available now. 

What did I do next? I drove to the next off-ramp, pulled over, and took a 30 minute nap. After that I drove to the nearest Starbucks. 

 

Is This Really The Same Woman Who:

1. Grew up in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Phoenix, Arizona?

2. Worked in an aircraft factory in World War II?

3. Gathered the neighbor kids for my back yard fifth birthday party?

4. Took me to the beech to get sand for my sand box?

5. Took me with her to get our first little puppy?

6. Made bologna sandwiches for me in kindergarten?

7. Watched me toboggan down a hill, and over a jump, in the snow?

8. Took me to special reading classes because I had difficulty reading?

9. Took me to the doctor for my constant tonsillitis?

10. Shared her country wisdom with me?

11. Packed me a lunch when I rode my bike 50 miles round trip to Irvine Park when I was only twelve?

12. Cooked me lunch and dinner every day?

13. Drove us all around town in a World War II Jeep as her only transportation for years?

14. Along with my dad, provided such wonderful Christmas and holiday memories?

15. Taught me all the old stories of her family, thus giving me the meaning and anchor of family?

16. Told me about the war, her contribution, my dad's contribution, and her family’s sad sacrifice at Manila in the Philippines in February of 1945?

17. Took me to church every Sunday?

18. Told me how important it was to learn how to type? (And she was so right about this too)

19. THIS NEXT ONE IS BIG: She never gave up on me even when I gave up on myself?

20. Was so proud of me for graduating from college?

21. Was so proud of me when I became an airline pilot?

22. Was so proud of me becoming a father?

23. Traveled with me to Arkansas when she was getting quite old. We went there to see the grave of her lost grandfather after I had located in a remote cemetery in the woods of the Southern Ozark mountains.

24. Came to watch my daughter’s softball games?

25. Was always someone I could talk to?

26. Had such a wonderful sense of humor?

When I visited my mother during the last six years of her life, and I would speak to her through her frequent confusion and deafness, I asked myself all of the above questions, and many more. I still do. She was my mom, Martha Ford Dill, and I feel that I did not do nearly as much for her as she did for me. About a year before my mom passed away, I drove to Southern California from my home near Redding, CA. I talked to the woman you see in this photo about her life, past and present. During this one conversation, perhaps lasting two hours, my mom was laser focused. She was not 93 anymore; more like 43. For this one day, her mind had flown into the clear blue sky of lucidity, and I was blessed to be there for the occasion. My mother told me about something I had never heard before. She told me with complete clarity of mind about the time she had accidentally cut the tip of her finger off when she was only about four years old. She showed me her finger. I had never known, nor noticed, my mom's missing fingertip in all my life. How is it possible that I did not know this? After slicing her fingertip off, her father took her into town on horseback to see a doctor. He even took the severed fingertip with him. My mom remembered every detail!

We talked about so many things, and I kicked myself for not videotaping the conversation. But it's all a memory now. I prefer to remember this occasion and the way my mom looked, and her clarity of mind, on this day. It wasn't her last day, but perhaps her best day during those last six declining years. And one last thing: My mother was not afraid of death at all. She was always ready. When my brother called me to deliver the news, I was genuinely happy. I knew my mom was home.