Pedestrian road-crossing willingness as a function of vehicle automation, external appearance, and driving behaviour

Dey, Debargha; Martens, Marieke; Eggen, Berry; Terken, Jacques · 2019 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2019.07.027

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Summary

This study investigates how pedestrians’ willingness to cross a road is influenced by the automation status, external appearance, and driving behavior of an approaching vehicle. Motivated by the rapid integration of automated vehicles into traffic and existing public mistrust or uncertainty regarding driverless cars, the researchers sought to determine if knowledge of a vehicle’s driving mode (manual vs. automated) alters pedestrian decision-making. The study also examined whether vehicle appearance interacts with automation status, given that stereotypes about human drivers may not apply to robotic systems. The researchers conducted a video-based experiment with 60 participants, divided into two between-subjects groups: those viewing manually driven vehicles and those viewing automated vehicles. To simulate automation, a “Ghost Driver” prototype was used, where a human driver wore a seat suit to appear invisible, creating the illusion of an autonomous vehicle. Two vehicles with contrasting appearances were selected based on a preliminary survey: a BMW 3 series (ordinary, aggressive) and a Renault Twizy (futuristic, friendly). Each vehicle exhibited two behaviors: non-yielding (maintaining 50 km/h) or yielding (decelerating to a stop). Participants watched video clips from a pedestrian’s perspective and rated their willingness to cross on a 5-point Likert scale at five specific distances (45 m to 1.5 m). The results indicated that the knowledge of the driving mode had no significant influence on pedestrians’ willingness to cross at any distance. Instead, vehicle behavior was the dominant factor; pedestrians consistently showed higher willingness to cross when vehicles yielded compared to when they maintained speed, regardless of automation status or vehicle type. However, vehicle appearance played a role when the vehicle’s intent was ambiguous. The futuristic-looking Renault Twizy inspired less confidence in crossing situations compared to the ordinary BMW 3 series. Additionally, participants found it easier to believe the Twizy was an automated vehicle due to its novel appearance. The study concludes that while pedestrians primarily rely on observable driving behavior to make crossing decisions, the external appearance of automated vehicles significantly impacts perceived safety and trust. Specifically, futuristic designs may reduce pedestrian confidence compared to conventional designs. These findings have important implications for the design of external Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) for automated vehicles, suggesting that appearance and clear behavioral cues are critical for facilitating safe and intuitive interactions between automated vehicles and vulnerable road users.

Key finding

Vehicle driving behavior, specifically whether the car yields or maintains speed, is the primary determinant of pedestrian crossing willingness, whereas knowledge of the vehicle's automation status has no significant impact.

Methodology

lab_experiment

Sample size: 60

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• ehmi external hmi
• acceptance adoption
• pedestrian behavior perception
• vru facing ehmi
• automation surprise
• driver vru interaction