San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he had been using Tesla’s Autopilot before a head-on collision with another vehicle.
On Saturday, during his first press conference since the crash, Shanahan said he took his eyes off the road before his Tesla Model S crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
He took responsibility for the crash — and said the experience changed how he thinks about using driver-assistance technology.
“When you’re going at 20 miles an hour, and you’re on autopilot, I honestly have zero worries,” he said. “That was a good lesson that you can’t ever have zero worries. I think it definitely could be an example for a lot of people.”
Drivers using Tesla’s Autopilot are not supposed to take their eyes off the road. It’s the EV-maker’s more basic driver-assistance system, unlike the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which the company claims can handle more complex driving tasks, including turns and lane changes.
Both systems still require an attentive driver.
Shanahan, who has been driving Tesla for several years, said his phone fell from his lap and that he took his eyes off the road while trying to retrieve it. He said he wasn’t sure whether he had inadvertently disengaged Autopilot while searching for the phone.
The July 14 crash in Palo Alto left Shanahan with a concussion, three broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken left hand, and a facial cut that required more than 40 stitches.
“Dropping a phone, it falling all the way to my back seat to where I have to fully take my eyes off the road, it’s something that I normally wouldn’t do,” he said.
“I’ve had autopilot for nine years, so I’m pretty comfortable with it. Who knows what happened when I turned around, whether it malfunctioned, or whether I turned it off. That’s something I don’t know yet. But, regardless, it is always your fault.”
Shanahan said Saturday that he plans to be on the field for the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, August 13.
He also said he was angry with himself over a crash that he believes could have been avoided.
“Any time you cause an accident that could have been avoided, you feel pretty stupid, especially when you have a chance to hurt someone else,” Shanahan said.
Tesla and a representative for the 49ers didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
