The Zebra Crossing Game - Using game theory to explain a discrepancy between road user behaviour and traffic rules

In order to test this, we studied crossing behaviour at three zebra crossings, two crossings where cyclists approached from the pavement and one crossing where cyclists came from a combined cycle and walking path. We found that rather than aligning with traffic rules, the actual crossing behaviour aligned with the solution generated by game theory. The results show that game theoretic modelling can be a valuable tool to understand road user interaction. Better understanding and ability to predict road user interactions could help to improve traffic safety.