Guest Editorial Introduction to the Special Issue on Deployment of Connected and Automated Vehicles in Mixed Traffic Environment and the Implications on Traffic Safety and Efficiency

The gradual deployment of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) in traffic will result in a transition period in which vehicles with various levels of automation and connectivity will have to co-exist with non-connected and non-automated road users for quite some time. Consequently, new types of interactions will emerge (and old types of interactions are likely to become more complicated) between vehicles at different levels of automation and other road users which could have significant implications on traffic safety and efficiency. Understanding the nature of these interactions, how humans might adapt their behavior, how connectivity can be utilized to proactively enhance drivers char63 driving performance, and how automated vehicles can be programmed to behave in different driving situations to guarantee safety and efficiency remain among the key knowledge gaps that require scientific research. This knowledge is crucial for the development of adequate integration policies of connected and automated vehicles in mixed traffic environment, for updating and improving automated vehicles char63 algorithms and software, for designing the physical and digital road infrastructure, and for operating and managing traffic on the road network.