Autonomous Vehicles and Vulnerable Road-Users-Important Considerations and Requirements Based on Crash Data from Two...

Area of Science:

• Road safety
• Human-computer interaction
• Transportation engineering

Background:

• Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are increasingly common in passenger vehicles.
• Potential for decreased driver engagement with ADAS may negatively impact road safety, especially for vulnerable road-users.
• The proliferation of ADAS raises concerns about their effects on traffic dynamics and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze crash data from Great Britain and Australia to identify challenging traffic scenarios.
• To examine scenarios relevant to the safe maneuvering of future connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs).
• To investigate the risks posed by unpredictable road-user behavior at intersections.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of crash data from two countries: Great Britain and Australia.
• Identification and examination of prevalent challenging traffic scenarios.
• Focus on road intersection dynamics and user behaviors.

Main Results:

• Road intersections are high-risk locations for vulnerable road-user accidents.
• Unpredictable traffic flow and inconsistent vehicle behavior (e.g., red-light running) are common at intersections.
• Vulnerable road-users often take unforeseen risks in these environments.

Conclusions:

• Unpredictable vulnerable road-user behavior at intersections poses significant safety challenges.
• Lack of understanding regarding CAV responses to intersection rules presents a potential problem.
• Changes in nonverbal communication between road-users may be further complicated by widespread CAV adoption, increasing risks.