Bibliometric analysis of the scientific production on autonomous vehicle safety

Abstract

As an important part of the intelligent transport system, the autonomous vehicles (AVs) have attracted the attention of researchers during the last decades. One of the most recurring topics about AVs is to verify their technology safety aspects, to guarantee that their market deployment is feasible and widely applied. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the researches on the subject, from the Web of Science database, to identify their main characteristics, evolution, and potential trends. Safety-focused studies on AV continue to expand and are published in renowned journals, mainly in the areas of transport science technology and electrical and electronic engineering, and can be divided into those that seek to improve the performance of systems responsible for responding appropriately to an accident, or to a cyberattack. As to accidents, the most relevant articles on the subject indicate that it is important that the AV is able to drive skillfully and safely in uncertain environments, minimizing potential risks. As to possible cyberattacks, it is important that the AV has sufficient redundancy in any input source, to allow of an efficient protection against possible attacks. These actions serve to increase the acceptance of potential users and to make the technology viable for commercialization.