Effect of Vehicle External Acceleration Signal Lights on Pedestrian-Vehicle Interaction

Abstract The number of casualties resulting from collisions between pedestrians and motor vehicles continues to rise. A significant factor is the misunderstanding of vehicle behavior intentions by pedestrians. This is especially true with the continuous development of vehicle automation technology, which has reduced direct interaction between drivers and the outside world. Therefore, accurate communication of vehicle behavior intentions is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of external vehicle acceleration signal lights on the interaction experience between pedestrians and vehicles. The differences between the use and nonuse of acceleration signal lights are compared through real-world scenario simulations and video simulations. The results show that acceleration signal lights help pedestrians understand vehicle behavior intentions more quickly and make safer crossing decisions as well as improving their perception of safety when crossing the street and their trust in vehicle behavior.