Communication between motor vehicles and vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) not least when considering vehicle automation

Considering that both the scientific community and industry nowadays deal with automation – up to autonomous driving – more and more, this topic should of course be dealt with at any road safety congress. However, there are certain aspects that appear especially interesting and important. One of those aspects is related to vulnerable road users. This is a group of road users the members of which cannot easily be automated. At least, it is difficult to imagine that attempts in that direction will be successful. Members of this group will go on to communicate “analogously“ and not digitally. I.e. interpersonal communication will go on to be important in more densely inhabited areas. These are areas where different modes mix and where higher portions of pedestrians, bicyclists and related types of road users will move about in the public space. How can automation of motor vehicles take “analogous“ communication into consideration? Will it be possible to write software programs for motor vehicles so that they can move about in more densely inhabited areas safely viz. without endangering unprotected road users? From this perspective, this special session will deal with the communication between (highly automated) motor vehicles and vulnerable road users