May I, please?: Examining the Need for Improved Intention Communication on the Road Using Naturalistic Data

Drivers need to constantly communicate their intention while sharing the road with other road users to attract attention, reduce confusion, and avoid collisions. With current advancements in the transportation system, particularly the increasing penetration of various levels of automation, the need to communicate intentions has become even more demanding and complex. Thus, it is critical to investigate the limitations and consequences of the existing communication channels and examine the need for improved communication. This study focused on two representative event types: lane change/merge and stop sign-controlled intersection in the SHRP 2 NDS dataset. Communication was deemed essential to the successful navigation of these maneuvers. Through exploratory analysis of driving behavior, insights were gained into the prevalence of lack of communication (LOC) among target events. Identified LOC events were further classified based on the scenario type. Moreover, descriptive observations of the interaction between drivers in these situations were developed and categorized.