49ers coach says his Tesla was on Autopilot when he crashed
He still takes responsibility, saying ‘you don’t just turn it [driving] over to a computer.‘
He still takes responsibility, saying ‘you don’t just turn it [driving] over to a computer.‘
by Aug 9, 2026, 3:56 PM UTC
Terrence O’Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.
Four weeks ago, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in an accident near downtown Palo Alto. At the time Shanahan said only that the accident was his fault. But during a recent press conference he shared more details about the incident, including the fact that he had his Tesla’s Autopilot engaged at the time. Shanahan was not passing the buck, however, saying it was his fault regardless of whether or not Autopilot was engaged.
“I’ve had Autopilot for nine years, so I’m pretty comfortable with it and, you know, who knows what happened when I turned around? Whether it malfunctioned or whether I knocked it off? That’s something I don’t know yet. But regardless, that’s… it is always your fault, whether you’re on Autopilot or not. You can’t take your eyes off the road. It’s a partnership driving, you don’t just turn it over to a computer.”
Over the years Tesla’s Autopilot has been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths, some of which have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in legal settlements.
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