Criteria for the evaluation of interaction behaviour of drivers in a bottleneck scenario

Abstract

Communication and cooperation between road users are essential for road safety and need mutual understanding to be successful. This also applies to autonomous vehicles, which is why their design requires an in-depth knowledge of human interaction behavior. Acquiring this knowledge in turn requires methods and criteria with which interaction behavior can be studied. By focused interviews we aim at identifying potential criteria for the description and evaluation of cooperation in a bottleneck scenario. Participants were presented with short video sequences of motorists passing through a narrow passage and asked to comment aloud on the videos and to describe and evaluate drivers’ behavior. For qualitative analysis, the interviews were coded, distinguishing in particular between the description and evaluation of behavior. Particularly relevant for the evaluation of the bottleneck scenario seem to be the time delay with which drivers arrive at the narrow passage, as well as the arrival and departure order (who arrives first and who passes the narrow passage first). In addition, the majority of participants addressed the clarity of drivers’ behavior. These aspects are promising criteria for the evaluation of interaction behavior in a bottleneck scenario.