If their track record is better it's because it's a record at a much lower scale, under more controlled conditions, and kept by companies with a vested interest in it appearing good. If Boeing can hide flaws in flying vehicles carrying hundreds of people per trip I think these companies can hide flaws in cars.

we aren’t advocating for stronger driving tests

Why aren't you? Wouldn't that be the most logical answer?

My country has had a very bad traffic safety record, among the worst in the EU, and that was one of the things we used to improve things, along with harsher consequences.

There's also another solution, reducing people's need to drive. Public transportation could be improved by a fraction of the money that goes into these self-driving endeavors.

Just adding "AI" to something may look cool and even make sense at small scale but ultimately completely fail in real life. "Sometimes knives kill people, let's put AI in knives that will retract the blade instead of cutting someone". Does that sound plausible too?