An Improved Car-Following Model considering Desired Safety Distance and Heterogeneity of Driver’s Sensitivity

The authors investigate the dynamic performance of traffic flow using a modified optimal velocity car-following model. In the car-following scenarios, the following vehicle must continuously adjust the following distance to the preceding vehicle in real time. A new optimal velocity function incorporating the desired safety distance instead of a preset constant is presented first to describe the above mentioned car-following behavior dynamically. The boundary conditions of the new optimal velocity function are theoretically analyzed. Subsequently, the authors propose an improved car-following model by combining the heterogeneity of driver’s sensitivity based on the new optimal velocity function and previous car-following model. The stability criterion of the improved model is obtained through the linear analysis method. Finally, numerical simulation is performed to explore the effect of the desired safety distance and the heterogeneity of driver’s sensitivity on the traffic flow. Results show that the proposed model has considerable effects on improving traffic stability and suppressing traffic congestion. Furthermore, the proposed model is compatible with the heterogeneity of driver’s sensitivity and can enhance the average velocity of traffic flow compared with the conventional model. In conclusion, the dynamic performance of traffic flow can be improved by considering the desired safety distance and the heterogeneity of driver’s sensitivity in the car-following model.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6693433
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/5121625
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2021 Lei Zhang et al.
• Authors:
  • Zhang, Lei
  • Zhang, Shengrui
  • Zhou, Bei
  • Jiao, Shuaiyang
  • Huang, Yan
• Publication Date: 2021-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: Article ID 6693433
• Serial:
  • Journal of Advanced Transportation
  • Volume: 2021
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0197-6729
  • EISSN: 2042-3195
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2042-3195
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car following; Drivers; Heterogeneity; Highway safety; Human factors; Traffic congestion; Traffic flow
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01765803
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 23 2021 10:34AM