Overlooked context? How culture, geography, and policy are treated in automated vehicle literature

Abstract

Automated vehicles (AVs) could reshape transport systems, but their impacts depend heavily on the contexts in which they are deployed. This chapter examines how academic AV research engages with contextual diversity, defined here as the geographic, cultural, and policy factors that shape deployment outcomes. Based on a systematic review of 26 impactful peer-reviewed articles, we analyze the empirical presence and analytic function of these context factors. Results show that while geography and policy are frequently addressed, they are often treated as background rather than as active analytic lenses. Culture is significantly underrepresented and rarely measured or theorized. Few studies consider multiple context factors, and none examine how geography, culture, and policy interact. This selective engagement reflects a field still focused on technical feasibility and individual-level behavior, with broader socio-contextual concerns lagging behind. We argue that deeper, more integrated treatment of context is essential - not as an abstract ideal, but to assess the alignment between AV service models, population characteristics, and the environments into which they are introduced. Without this alignment, deployments risk failing to meet societal needs or local conditions. The chapter concludes with a call for context-aware design approaches that treat context not as a secondary concern but as central to the development of equitable and effective AV systems.