Toyota discovers flaws in driver-pedestrian communication assumptions

In a collaborative project between Toyota Motor Corporation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab, researchers investigated pedestrian safety and collision reduction focused on driver behavior and pedestrian interactions. This significant study, which marked their 100th project together, unveiled unexpected findings that challenged existing assumptions about how drivers and pedestrians communicate with one another. The research spanned several years and analyzed 450 hours of undistracted driving data to understand how automation affects the way drivers engage with pedestrians. During their findings, researchers discovered that the importance of non-verbal cues, such as gestures and eye contact, was much lower than they initially anticipated. Through the examination of 348 naturalistic interactions, they determined that pedestrians often could not accurately determine where drivers were looking due to various obstructions, leading to potential miscommunication and increased risks of collisions. This finding prompted researchers, including Josh Domeyer and Bryan Reimer, to reevaluate how they perceive ‘driver distraction’ since human attention is often divided among many tasks simultaneously. In response to the insights gained from this extensive research, Toyota modified its internal systems to enhance driver-pedestrian communication, reducing visual feedback for drivers. The research team emphasized the necessity to think differently about driver behavior and the influence of automation on decision-making processes. They noted that humans consistently find ways to engage in non-driving related tasks (NDRT), regardless of the automation tools available in vehicles, thus complicating the relationship between automation and pedestrian safety. The outcomes of this study hold vital implications for ongoing advancements in vehicle safety technology, particularly in preventing pedestrian collisions. At the American Center for Mobility in Michigan, Toyota demonstrated technologies such as automatic emergency braking (AEB), which successfully prevented potential collisions with mock pedestrians. As part of their ongoing five-year research phase, Toyota and MIT AgeLab will continue to explore deeper into crash avoidance, driver behavior understanding, and strategies to minimize crash-related injuries.