How should automated vehicles (AVs) interpret the rules of the road? A critical analysis of public expectations of interactions between AVs and road users

Ricci, Miriam; Shergold, Ian; Parkhurst, Graham

Abstract

Debates on how automated vehicles (AVs) would navigate the environment and behave while mixing with traffic have so far focused on technological capabilities and remained confined in expert circles, with very little dialogue with the public about the practical implications of sharing the road with AVs as pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
The paper draws on social research involving a series of face-to-face focus groups and online discussions with members of the public in the greater Bristol area. Public understanding of AV interactions with road users is considered in the wider context of road safety and perceptions of safety. Competing approaches to conceptualising road safety and human error are discussed. Whilst the technical focus of AV software development is on so-called edge cases, long-tails and handling exceptions to the rules, members of the public want to understand how AVs could (and should) follow the existing rules of the road, manage day-to-day interactions with road users, and interpret rules that are not clear-cut. For example, how to overtake a cyclist, negotiate priority with a pedestrian intending to cross the road at a non-signalised junction, and edging out of a junction with heavy traffic.
Public concerns revolve around the governance of AV development and the extent to which AVs would contribute to creating more sustainable, safer and liveable cities and communities. Equity implications ought to be considered by developers, regulators and policy makers, however these are not the main focus of the current debate. If AVs are framed as solutions, it is essential to ask what and whose problems they are expected to solve.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Universities’ Transport Study Group (UTSG) Annual Conference 2021
• Start Date: Jul 5, 2021
• End Date: Jul 6, 2021
• Deposit Date: Dec 6, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 7, 2021
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8212942
• Publisher URL: http://utsg.net/