Perception of Intention in Traffic Environments: A Systematic Review

Abstract

To navigate safely in traffic environments, road users must correctly predict another road users’ intentions. Understanding how road users correctly predict the intent of other road users can help create possible countermeasures for collision avoidance. The aim of this paper is to examine what cues road users (drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians) use to successfully predict other road user’s intentions and to highlight gaps and outline future research directions. A systematic literature search using the PRISMA method was conducted, and twenty-seven articles were included in the review. Overall, the results from these studies suggest that observers use body language, cues exhibited by the road user, and seek eye contact, when making predictions of intent about another road user. Future research should aim to understand how specific cues impact a road user’s decision-making process and what factors (e.g., point of view or eye contact) modulate a road user’s prediction performance.