Autonomous vehicles (AVs) could one day make roads much safer, experts believe. Studies show the rate of crashes and fatalities falling in proportion to the rate of AVs coming into circulation. Safety really is the whole point of driverless driving: machines, in theory, are more reliable than human beings. But this message hasn’t reached or convinced the public yet. Whether it’s because they’ve heard about Tesla “Autopilot” accidents, or because they overestimate their own driving skills, people are generally scared of what AVs can do, not pacified by the thought of them. About three-quarters of Americans (74%) say AVs will not be safe when they’re released, according to a new poll from Deloitte, the consultancy firm. “Consumers have a great deal of fear [AVs] will be safe, though there’s a strong belief [in the industry] that the fear factor will go down when people spend time in the vehicles,” says Craig Giffi, who leads Deloitte’s U.S. auto industry practice.