The effect of drivers’ eye contact on pedestrians’ perceived safety

Many fatal accidents that involve pedestrians occur at road crossings, and are attributed to a breakdown of communication between drivers. Thus, it is important investigate how forms in traffic, such as eye contact, influence crossing decisions. Thus far, there little information about the effect drivers’ contact on pedestrians’ perceived safety cross road. Existing studies treat immutable, i.e., either present or absent whole interaction, an approach overlooks timing contact. We online crowdsourced study addresses this research gap. 1835 participants viewed 13 videos approaching car twice, random order, held key whenever they felt safe cross. The differed terms whether yielded not, driver made times when Participants also answered questions their intuitiveness driver’s behavior. results showed people feel considerably safer compared no (an increase keypress percentage from 31% 50% was observed). In addition, initiation termination affected more strongly than continuous lack it, respectively. car’s motion, however, dominant factor. Additionally, braked considered intuitive, drove off, counterintuitive. summary, demonstrates for first time affects function dynamic scenario notion recent literature interactions dispensable. These findings may be interest development automated vehicles (AVs), where AV might not always paying attention environment.