One of the primary benefits from automated/autonomous vehicles (AV) is the promise of increased road safety through reductions in the number of driver error-induced accidents, where an often-cited statistic is that around 90% of all motor vehicle crashes are caused by human error. The flip-side of this is that one of the greatest barriers to the widespread uptake of AV is the need to prove to the public that AV are ‘safe’. Hence, whilst accumulating operational experience is necessary, it is insufficient to make people feel comfortable about the idea of robot vehicles roaming the streets. This paradox can be addressed by developing testing processes and protocols that generate empirical data that proves reliability alongside more intangible evidence needed if we are to build confidence and trust. To this end we have opened-up the Culham Science Centre campus as a ‘fenced test facility’ where AV operate alongside over 2,000 site users.