  This study proposed a new methodological approach for the assessment of
automated vehicle acceptance (AVA) from the perspective of road users inside
and outside of AVs pre- and post- AV experience. Users can be drivers and
passengers, but also external road users, such as pedestrians,
(motor-)cyclists, and other car drivers, interacting with AVs. A pyramid was
developed, which provides a hierarchical representation of user needs.
Fundamental user needs are organized at the bottom of the pyramid, while
higher-level user needs are at the top of the pyramid. The pyramid
distinguishes between six levels of needs, which are safety trust, efficiency,
comfort and pleasure, social influence, and well-being. Some user needs
universally exist across users, while some are user-specific needs. These needs
are translated into operationalizable indicators representing items of a
questionnaire for the assessment of AVA of users inside and outside AVs. The
formulation of the questionnaire items was derived from established technology
acceptance models. As the instrument was based on the same model for all road
users, the comparison of AVA between different road users is now possible. We
recommend future research to validate this questionnaire, administering it in
studies to contribute to the development of a short, efficient, and
standardized metric for the assessment of AVA.
