Social Interaction Between Road Users and Automated Vehicles

Self-driving cars are currently operational in certain urban areas. Despite thesedesignated zones presumed to be optimal, concerns over incident rates and shiftingpublic opinion necessitate a focus on the social integration of these technologies.The ability of self-driving cars to navigate informal interactions andunexpected situations, a critical aspect of social behaviour, falls short due to theabsence of human-centric communication transfer in urban mixed traffic whereself-driving cars and humans coexist. Recognizing the social context of traffic, thethesis aims to address the gap in social interaction and position fully AutomatedVehicles (AVs) as social agents.Achieving widespread accessibility for AVs goes beyond technological advancements;it requires successful social integration. The present thesis contends thatfailure to integrate the social agency of AVs during design could diminish theirusability and overall success. Understanding social behaviour in traffic and howAVs function as social agents is crucial to resolving interaction challenges andensuring seamless coexistence with human road users.