Pedestrian interaction with automated vehicles at uncontrolled intersections

Automated Vehicles (AVs) are being developed rapidly and tested on public roads, but pedestrians’ interaction with AV is not comprehensively understood or thoroughly investigated to ensure safe operations and the public’s trust of AVs. In this study, the authors aimed to provide another research evidence to enhance such understanding with the use of external interfaces for facilitating the interaction between pedestrians and AVs. The authors developed five external interfaces, including text, symbol, animated-eye, a combination of text and symbol, and speed. These interfaces communicated five types of information, including (1) intent of AV; 2) advice to pedestrians of what to do, (3) AV’s awareness of pedestrians, (4) combination of intent and advice, and (5) vehicle movement (i.e., speed). The authors tested the interfaces through two field studies at uncontrolled intersections with crosswalks. The Wizard of Oz method was used, in which an experimenter worked as a driver in an instrumented vehicle and wore an outfit to be invisible to the pedestrians, thus rendering the set-up to simulate an AV interacting with a pedestrian. The interfaces were displayed on an LED panel mounted on the AV. Results showed that the AV’s external interface did not change pedestrians’ response time in comparison with the baseline without any interface. There was no statistically significant difference in response time among the external interfaces either. According to the post-experimental interview, vehicle movement pattern (e.g., vehicle speed) continued to be a significant cue for pedestrians to decide when to cross the intersections. Participants perceived the communication of the AV’s intent and vehicle speed as more beneficial than the communication of AV’s awareness. The subjective ratings showed positive effects of those interfaces that were easy to understand (e.g., text interface and speed interface), which also helped pedestrians feel safer when interacting with the AV.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2020.12.005
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847820305908
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Wang, Pei
  • Motamedi, Sanaz
  • Qi, Shouming
  • Zhou, Xiao
  • Zhang, Tingting
  • Chan, Ching-Yao
• Publication Date: 2021-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 10-25
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 77
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Communication; Decision making; Pedestrian movement; Pedestrian safety; Pedestrian vehicle interface; Pedestrians; Perception; Psychological trust; Unsignalized intersections
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01767719
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 23 2021 11:13AM