An autonomous vehicle (AV) includes features that allows the AV to comply with applicable regulations and statues for performing safe driving operation. An example system for an AV includes obtaining, by a computer located in the AV, an image from a camera located on the AV, where the image characterizes an area towards which the AV is driven on a lane on a road or a highway; determining, from the image, that a pedestrian or a cyclist is located next to the lane on the road or the highway; and in response to the determining, performing driving operations on the AV such as steering from a center of the lane to a first side of the lane that is away from the center of the lane and away from a location of the pedestrian or the cyclist, and/or slowing down the AV in response to certain conditions.