San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is taking a notably different approach after crashing his Tesla while using Autopilot. Rather than placing the blame on the driver-assistance system, Shanahan says the responsibility ultimately rests with him.
The July 14 crash happened in Palo Alto while Shanahan was driving his Tesla Model S. According to Shanahan, Autopilot was active before his vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Speaking publicly about the crash on Saturday, Shanahan explained that his phone fell from his lap and ended up behind him. He then took his eyes off the road while attempting to retrieve it.
Shanahan said he doesn’t know whether Autopilot disengaged while he was reaching for the phone or whether something else happened.
“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.” (via Yahoo Sports)
That acknowledgment stands out given how crashes involving driver-assistance technology can quickly turn into questions over whether the technology was responsible. Shanahan, however, isn’t using Autopilot as an excuse.
Shanahan said years of using Autopilot had made him comfortable enough that he wasn’t concerned while travelling at around 20 mph (32 km/h). However, that has now changed since the crash.
“When you’re going at 20 miles an hour, and you’re on Autopilot, I honestly have zero worries,” Shanahan 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.”
Shanahan suffered several injuries in the collision, including a concussion and broken ribs.
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