Risks to pedestrians in traffic systems with unfamiliar driving rules: a virtual reality approach

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Traffic Safety Engineering
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Pedestrian safety is a critical concern in urban environments.
• Navigating unfamiliar traffic rules poses significant risks to pedestrians.
• Habitual looking behavior influences pedestrian decision-making when crossing roads.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the risks to pedestrians crossing streets with unfamiliar driving rules using virtual reality (VR).
• To investigate the influence of habitual looking behavior on pedestrian safety in different traffic systems.
• To assess the effectiveness of road markings and traffic sounds in mitigating risks.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a virtual-reality (VR) pedestrian simulation.
• Compared pedestrians from right-side driving (mainland China) and left-side driving (Hong Kong) systems.
• Analyzed looking behavior, errors, and time to collision.

Main Results:

• Pedestrians from mainland China showed a 2.93 times higher odds of looking errors when exposed to unfamiliar driving rules.
• Road markings and traffic sound did not significantly improve looking behavior.
• Inattentive looking behavior correlated negatively with time to collision, increasing pedestrian risk.

Conclusions:

• Confirmed significant risks for pedestrians encountering unfamiliar driving rules and habitual looking behaviors.
• VR simulation offers a safe and controlled environment for studying pedestrian behavior and testing interventions.
• Findings support the need for traffic policymaking and facility improvements considering cross-driving rule risks.