  Understanding cultural backgrounds is crucial for the seamless integration of
autonomous driving into daily life as it ensures that systems are attuned to
diverse societal norms and behaviours, enhancing acceptance and safety in
varied cultural contexts. In this work, we investigate the impact of co-located
pedestrians on crossing behaviour, considering cultural and situational
factors. To accomplish this, a full-scale virtual reality (VR) environment was
created in the CARLA simulator, enabling the identical experiment to be
replicated in both Spain and Australia. Participants (N=30) attempted to cross
the road at an urban crosswalk alongside other pedestrians exhibiting
conservative to more daring behaviours, while an autonomous vehicle (AV)
approached with different driving styles. For the analysis of interactions, we
utilized questionnaires and direct measures of the moment when participants
entered the lane.
  Our findings indicate that pedestrians tend to cross the same traffic gap
together, even though reckless behaviour by the group reduces confidence and
makes the situation perceived as more complex. Australian participants were
willing to take fewer risks than Spanish participants, adopting more cautious
behaviour when it was uncertain whether the AV would yield.
