The feasibility of incorporating new technology-driven functionality to vehicles has played a central role in automotive design. The overall diffusion in the application of digital technologies presents the possibility of designing systems, the functioning of which is based on intelligent technologies that simultaneously reside in multiple, interconnected applications. Consequently, the development of intelligent road-vehicle systems such as cooperative advanced driver assistance systems (co-ADAS) and with them the degree of vehicle automation is rapidly increasing.
The advent of vehicle automation promotes a reduction of the driver workload. However, depending on the automation grade consequences for the passengers such as out-of-the-loop states can be foreseen. Also the protection of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) has been an active research topic in recent years. A variety of responses that exhibit several levels of trust, uncertainty and a certain degree of fear when interacting with driverless vehicles has been observed. In this context, P2V (Pedestrian-to-Vehicle) and V2P (Vehicle-to-Pedestrian) have become crucial technologies to minimize potential dangers, due to the high detection rates and the high user-satisfaction levels they achieve.
This presentation gives an overview of the impact of such technologies on traffic awareness towards improving driving performance and reducing road accidents. Furthermore, the benefits and potential problems regarding vehicle automation will be outlined.