Cyclists and Automated Vehicles’ Interactions

Abstract

Future traffic will include automated vehicles (AVs) that will interact with other road users, including cyclists. These interactions need to be safe for AVs to be accepted by society. To accomplish this, the interaction process needs to be studied from both the AV’s point of view (AV’s passenger) and cyclists’ point of view. Insights from current interactions between drivers of conventional vehicles (CVs) and cyclists, and the factors contributing to safe interactions, can inform industry of the design of AVs to interact safely and in socially acceptable ways with cyclists. This paper provides a synthesis of the current literature on the interactions between AVs/CVs and cyclists, from four different points of view: 1) from CV drivers’ point of view when interacting with cyclists; 2) from cyclists’ point of view when interacting with CVs; 3) from AVs driver-seat passengers’ point of view when interacting with cyclists; and 4) from cyclists’ point view when interacting with AVs. The literature review included publications between the years 2015-2025 and resulted in 89 relevant scientific papers. Fifty-one papers focused CVs and cyclists interactions, at intersections, and in overtaking maneuvers, while thirty-eight papers focused on cyclists and AVs interactions. Key factors that influence AV-cyclist interactions were identified, including infrastructure, environment, factors influencing vehicle and cyclist behaviors, and rules and regulations. These elements and the factors influencing them were summarized in a conceptual framework. Future research directions are proposed based on the literature review and knowledge gaps identified and were structured following the proposed conceptual framework.