Investigating Autonomous Vehicle Crash Severity Factors and Management Strategies

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) can potentially improve road safety by reducing human error, but their interactions with conventional vehicle drivers and pedestrians need to be prioritized by manufacturers as they continue to refine and develop the technology. Multiple studies have explored the performance of AVs by analyzing the open-source collision and disengagement data made available by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (CA DMV). Although AV crash severity factors have been found in existing literature, these components have yet to be comprehensively identified through a literature review. This study aims to examine the effects of AVs on accidents and injuries by identifying and categorizing the factors that affect how severe an AV crash is to learn more about how AVs perform on public roads. Furthermore, this paper intends to outline management strategies to address the challenges of AVs, such as public safety perception and the ethics of unavoidable accidents. An extensive review of 107 pertinent research articles was carried out to achieve the goals of this study. The findings showed that AVs were not the responsible party for most accidents they were involved in, supporting the notion that they improve traffic safety, but they are more likely to be involved in rear-end crashes. The causes of more severe AV crashes were discovered and divided into 14 groups, and their citation frequency was determined. The authors identified 11 management strategies for manufacturers and legislators to overcome the moral conundrum of unavoidable accidents present alongside seven methods to address public concerns about AV safety and enhance public acceptance, such as giving people chances to interact with the technology. The results of this study will help transportation professionals better understand AV crashes and interactions in mixed-traffic environments. Additionally, this study will benefit AV manufacturers and policymakers through the facilitation of strategies that can help manage the challenges of AVs.