VENTURER Trial 3 Participant Experiments

The Trial 3 participant experiments investigated road user behaviour and participant trust when CAVs (Connected and Autonomous Vehicles) form part of traffic in urban environments. The ability of CAVs to interact safely with a range of road users, particularly in urban settings where interactions are most common, is a crucial step towards enabling their integration into the wider transport network and safe deployment onto UK roads.

The objective of the Trial 3 participant experiments was to test the responses of observing cyclist, driver and pedestrian participants by asking them to rate their trust in an autonomous vehicle as they observed it interacting with pedestrian and cyclist actors. This took place while the CAV manoeuvred around seven typical highway scenarios at T-junctions and on road links.

A total of 133 participants took part in the Trial 3 participant experiments. Based on their most frequently used mode of transportation these participants were designated roles during the experiments:

  • Cyclists;
  • Drivers; and
  • Pedestrians.

Participants were asked, thinking of themselves in their designated role, whether they trusted the behaviour of the CAV after having observed a range of driving scenarios undertaken by the Wildcat road vehicle and in the VENTURER Simulator.

The results from VENTURER’s Trial 3 participant experiments can be read in the documents below.

Download the Trial 3 participant experiments Summary Report here: VENTURER Trial 3 Participant Experiments – Summary Report

Download the full Trial 3 participant experiments Technical Report here: VENTURER Trial 3 Participant Experiments – Technical Report

You can also see Trial 3 in action here, including footage of the Trial 3 bus demonstration.