Rules versus risk : why perceptions of pedestrian comfort and safety differ for interactions with self-driving versus human-driven vehicles
Bardutz, Emily (University of British Columbia. School of Community and Regional Planning)
Bigazzi, Alexander (University of British Columbia. Department of Civil Engineering)
Honey-Rosés, Jordi (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Gill, Gurdiljot (University of British Columbia. Department of Civil Engineering)

Date:	2023
Description:	18 pàg.
Abstract:	This study aims to inform the development of pedestrian-friendly self-driving vehicle (SDV) policies by investigating how perceptions of pedestrian comfort and safety are affected by SDV technology. We use structural topic modeling to investigate themes in open response survey comments from participants who viewed and rated short video clips of pedestrian interactions with motor vehicles. Although they were all human-driven vehicles (HDVs), participants were told that half of the interactions (randomly for each individual) involved SDVs. This deception-based survey design enabled isolation of the intrinsic effect of automated driving on comfort and safety perceptions across a broad sample of the population. Model results identified latent topics significantly more likely to be discussed for SDV versus HDV interactions, ceteris paribus. There is a greater focus on pedestrian responsibility to be cautious, aware, and predictable in interactions with SDVs than HDVs. Topics more associated with SDVs tend to focuson strict rule compliance (obligation fulfillment), whereas topics more associated with HDVs tend to focus on risk mitigation (with less focus on rules). Recommendations to mitigate potential negative impacts of introducing SDVs on the attractiveness of walking include requirements for conservative SDV operation in city streets, limiting potential interactions that require negotiated priority with SDVs (through physical separation and clear traffic controls), and enhancing external communication from SDVs.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M Agencia Estatal de Investigación RyC-2019-027279-I
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Automated vehicles ; Autonomous vehicles ; Comfort ; Pedestrians ; Perceived safety ; Topic modeling
Published in:	Transportation Research Record, (December 2023) , ISSN 2169-4052

DOI: 10.1177/03611981231213077

18 p, 1.5 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles