Investigating User Requirements for Communication Between Automated Vehicles and Vulnerable Road Users

As automated vehicles increase on public roads, research on communication with vulnerable road users (VRUs) becomes increasingly important. Recently, numerous solutions to tackle this problem have been presented. However, it is not clear whether such concepts fit the needs and requirements of future users. The aim of this work is to identify the requirements and expectations of users after real-life exposure with an automated vehicle. We conducted a field study (N=32) in a small town where an automated vehicle is in regular operation and collected both subjective (surveys, semi-structured interviews) and objective (video analysis) data. Results suggest that VRUs prefer rather simple forms of communication derived from well-established concepts like traffic signs, horns or indicators. Furthermore, we could identify important scenarios that have yet not been addressed, and our findings are in particular useful for the provision of automated vehicles in shared spaces.