Hidden Strategies of Driving Behavior on Freeways

Traffic operations for new road layouts are often simulated using microscopic traffic simulation packages. Here, the behavior of each individual vehicle-driver combination is included. These traffic simulation packages usually simulate traffic at freeways by a combination of a car-following model and a lane change model. The car-following models have gained attention of researchers and are well calibrated against data. However, the proposed lane change models are often representations of assumed reasonable behavior, not necessarily corresponding to reality. This paper studies how lane changing actually works for a variety of drivers. Test persons are asked to take a drive in a test vehicle which is recorded on video. Afterwards, the drivers are asked to comment on their choices related to lane choice and speeds, while watching the video. The paper shows that different drivers have completely different strategies to change lanes, and that the choices to change lane are related to their speed choice. These strategies differ not only in threshold values, as is currently being modeled in most simulation packages, but there are completely different reasoning. Most remarkably, all drivers perceive their strategy as obvious behavior and expect all other drivers to drive in a similar way. However, strategies by others are found to be completely different. Potentially, this could lead to significant changes in the traffic operations. Further research should show the impact of the strategies on for instance the capacity of the road, or even the required design length of off and on ramps.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB20 Freeway Operations.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Knoop, V L
  • Keyvan-Ekbatani, M
  • Daamen, W
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
• Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Driving; Freeways; Lane changing; Operating speed; Traffic simulation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01557760
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-4074
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 25 2015 4:20PM