A Review on Vulnerable Road Users' Attitudes Toward Autonomous Vehicles

HAN Xiao; TANG Yuan; SHENG Xiaolu; FANG Kexin; XING Yingying

doi:10.3963/j.jssn.1674-4861.2025.04.001

Volume 43 Issue 4

Aug. 2025

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Article Navigation > Journal of Transport Information and Safety > 2025 > 43(4): 1-13

HAN Xiao, TANG Yuan, SHENG Xiaolu, FANG Kexin, XING Yingying. A Review on Vulnerable Road Users' Attitudes Toward Autonomous Vehicles[J]. Journal of Transport Information and Safety, 2025, 43(4): 1-13. doi: 10.3963/j.jssn.1674-4861.2025.04.001

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HAN Xiao, TANG Yuan, SHENG Xiaolu, FANG Kexin, XING Yingying. A Review on Vulnerable Road Users' Attitudes Toward Autonomous Vehicles[J]. Journal of Transport Information and Safety, 2025, 43(4): 1-13. doi: 10.3963/j.jssn.1674-4861.2025.04.001

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A Review on Vulnerable Road Users' Attitudes Toward Autonomous Vehicles

doi: 10.3963/j.jssn.1674-4861.2025.04.001

HAN Xiao^{1, 2
,},
TANG Yuan^{1, 2},
SHENG Xiaolu¹,
FANG Kexin^{3, 4},
XING Yingying^{3, 4
,
,}

1.
School of System Science, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
2.
Hebei Key Laboratory of Future Urban Intelligent Traffic Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
3.
College of Transportation, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China
4.
Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China

Received Date: 2024-08-14

Abstract

Abstract

The widespread adoption of autonomous driving technology depends not only on technological progress but also on public attitudes. In real-world operations, autonomous vehicles inevitably interact with vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, elderly people, children, and persons with disabilities. Investigating these groups' attitudes toward autonomous driving and the factors that shape them is crucial for fostering social acceptance and ensuring the safe deployment of this technology. This review outlines the potential advantages of autonomous vehicles. It focuses on the attitudes of vulnerable road users and their influencing factors, aiming to provide guidance for researchers, technology developers, and policymakers in technological improvement and policy design. The findings indicate that most vulnerable road users generally hold positive attitudes toward autonomous vehicles. Younger male pedestrians and cyclists show stronger support. Persons with disabilities view them as opportunities for enhanced mobility, whereas older adults, due to lower adaptability, tend to prefer conventional vehicles. Familiarity with the technology further improves acceptance. Nevertheless, safety and reliability remain critical barriers to trust. Pedestrians and cyclists worry about road interaction risks. Persons with disabilities are concerned about design flaws and loss of independence. Older adults feel uneasy about interacting with new technologies, and parents express concerns over child safety features. The review also summarizes policy measures and practices in several countries aimed at protecting vulnerable road users, offering lessons for safety assurance in the era of autonomous driving. Finally, it highlights future research directions, including expanding study populations and geographical scope, adopting experiential research methods, conducting longitudinal studies, applying latent class analysis to identify subgroup differences, and differentiating between technical levels and operational models. These efforts will advance the understanding of how vulnerable road users' attitudes evolve and provide valuable insights for technology development and policy refinement.
- Autonomous vehicles,
- vulnerable road users,
- interactive attitude,
- adoption attitude,
- road safety

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References(56)

References

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A Review on Vulnerable Road Users' Attitudes Toward Autonomous Vehicles

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