Fatalities/VMT isn't the right stat to use to evaluate safety because injuries and deaths cluster around conflict points(intersections, crossovers to oncoming l

Fatalities/VMT isn't the right stat to use to evaluate safety because injuries and deaths cluster around conflict points(intersections, crossovers to oncoming lane, offramp exits, etc.). It can be simultaneously true that most of the miles driven are safe, but also that there are danger zones which some road users are repeatedly subjected to. And when we talk about AVs being safe, we aren't saying "they'll be safer at avoiding a crash when racing", a situation where one might credibly consider using VMT. It's relatively mundane situations of making a clean left turn, stopping at stop signs, decelerating when exiting the freeway, and so forth. Those are things you encounter with higher frequency when you are making relatively shorter trips.