The number of road accidents is decreasing slightly in developed countries, mainly due to technological advancements and government actions. However, accidents involving vulnerable users, such as pedestrians, remain high. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to benefit pedestrians, though their interaction with pedestrians raises questions. Common driver behaviors like gestures, eye contact, and flashing lights indicate a willingness to yield, which AVs must replicate. Our research compares two experiments: a virtual reality (VR) pedestrian crossing with an LED display on a virtual AV and a real traffic scenario using the same LED display on an actual car. We investigated how much pedestrians rely on LED communication and whether there are differences between VR and real-world settings. A questionnaire gathered demographic data and trust levels in LEDs. The VR experiment had 51 participants, while the real traffic experiment involved 136 pedestrians. Overall, 82% responded positively to the LED display, with gender and age being insignificant factors. A rapid learning process indicated that explicit communication patterns were self-explanatory. In the VR experiment, 75% moderately trusted the LED display, while 18% fully trusted it. In real traffic, 44% fully trusted the display after familiarization, but skepticism was higher compared to the VR setting.