Four weeks ago, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in an accident near downtown Palo Alto. During a recent press conference, he revealed that his Tesla had its Autopilot engaged at the time of the crash. Despite this, Shanahan insists full responsibility lies with him.

“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?” he said. “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.”

Shanahan’s statement echoes broader concerns about autonomous vehicle safety, as Tesla’s Autopilot has been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths over the past years. Critics argue that drivers should not fully trust technology but remain vigilant.

The incident highlights a wider debate on human responsibility in an increasingly tech-driven world. As Shanahan notes, “you don’t just turn it [driving] over to a computer.”