The Significance of Informal Communication for Road User Safety from Pedestrians’ Perspective

Traffic fatalities, a grim reality affecting both human lives and the nation’s economy, persist as a major concern despite various city-level interventions. Particularly alarming is the prominence of traffic fatalities among children and young adults, often pedestrians or passengers. The multifaceted causes include deficient road infrastructure, the absence of traffic control elements, road users’ negative attitudes, and inadequate communication among drivers and between drivers and pedestrians. The significance of effective communication on roads has become even more critical with the burgeoning interest in autonomous vehicles. Pedestrian safety, which is integral to this discussion, relies heavily on informal communication methods prevalent on roads. The current communication landscape on roads can be broadly classified into three categories: formal device-based signals, informal device-based signals, and informal gesture-based signals. In the realm of autonomous vehicles, existing studies predominantly prioritize the safety of drivers and passengers, neglecting the crucial aspect of pedestrian safety. This study adopts a two-phase approach. First, it delves into the literature exploring the communication dynamics between pedestrians and autonomous vehicles. Subsequently, a semi structured interview questionnaire was used to gather data from South African pedestrians, focusing on the types of communication used by road users. The collected data were subjected to regression analysis to discern the correlation between communication types and pedestrian safety levels. This study aims to unravel the intricacies of formal and informal communication between drivers and pedestrians, proposing their integration into autonomous vehicle designs for improved pedestrian safety. Acknowledging cultural and locational nuances, the implementation of these communication strategies is contingent on context. Recognizing the indispensability of road communication, this research underscores the need to investigate pedestrians’ perspectives on interactions with drivers. Ultimately, this study endeavours to inform the development of autonomous vehicles equipped with both formal and informal communication features, with a particular emphasis on the latter to accommodate the reliance on informal communication by pedestrians.