Self-driving vehicles, also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs) are gradually making their way into real-life scenarios. In Lithuania, there has been significant progress in the field of transport, particularly in the development of autonomous car technology within the road transport sector. A legal framework has been established to define the conditions and processes for the participation and testing of AVs in public traffic. However, integrating AVs into real-world environments necessitates a deeper analysis of the changing interactions between autonomous technologies and human-driven vehicles. This is crucial for identifying potential trends and consequences of such interactions. Drivers commonly make various mistakes due to distractions, fatigue, inexperience, and other factors. In traffic scenarios where two or more vehicle units or road users participate, each must consider the others to avoid potentially dangerous situations. In traffic involving AVs, communication with other road users becomes more challenging. This is not only due to the complex technical aspects of autonomous systems but also factors such as the absence of eye contact, which hinders the prediction of the intentions of all road users and the execution of safe manoeuvres on a case-by-case basis. This article explores the interaction between AVs and other road users. It assesses the significance of different infrastructure elements for AVs traffic, which influences the successful integration of AVs into real traffic alongside human-driven vehicles.

road infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, transport infrastructure system