49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says He Was Using Car's Autopilot Before Crash

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who has been recovering from a July 14 car crash, provided additional details into the lead-up to the crash when he spoke to reporters on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Shanahan said he was driving his car on autopilot before the accident.

"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. I've had autopilot for nine years, so I'm pretty comfortable with it," Shanahan told reporters. "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, 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," he added. "It's a good lesson, no matter how comfortable I am with that, that I believe someday could save my life or someone else's. It's really helped me have perspective on that stuff."

Shanahan suffered "non-life threatening injuries" and had some limitations as the Niners began training camp. The injuries included broken ribs, a broken nose, some "bumps and bruises" and a concussion.

Shanahan previously said that he briefly took his eyes off the road because he dropped his phone and it fell between his seats. As he focused back on the road, he was already over the road divider line and crashed into an SUV.

"The word's an 'accident' and it truly was that way," Shanahan said. "You realize how quick and close that stuff can happen when you're going at 20 miles an hour and you're on autopilot. ... I think it definitely could be an example for a lot of people."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says he was using car's autopilot before crash