Can Eyes on a Car Reduce Traffic Accidents?

Various car manufacturers and researchers have explored the idea of adding eyes to a car as an additional communication modality. A previous study demonstrated that autonomous vehicles’ (AVs) eyes help pedestrians make faster street-crossing decisions. In this study, we examine a more critical question, "can eyes reduce traffic accidents?” To answer this question, we consider a critical street-crossing situation in which a pedestrian is in a hurry to cross the street. If the car is not looking at the pedestrian, this implies that the car does not recognize the pedestrian. Thus, pedestrians can judge that they should not cross the street, thereby avoiding potential traffic accidents. We conducted an empirical study using 360-degree video shooting of an actual car with robotic eyes. The results showed that the eyes can reduce potential traffic accidents and that gaze direction can increase pedestrians’ subjective feelings of safety and danger. In addition, the results showed gender differences in critical and noncritical scenarios in AV-to-pedestrian interaction.