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

Abstract

We 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 abovementioned car-following behavior dynamically. The boundary conditions of the new optimal velocity function are theoretically analyzed. Subsequently, we 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.

The effect of visibility on road traffic during foggy weather conditions

“…Newell [21] proposed a car‐following model that takes into account the relationship between velocity and distance headway. This model suggests that a large distance headway should result in higher velocity and lower density [22]. However, the Newell model has been criticized for causing excessive acceleration, which is unrealistic.…”

Car-Following Model Optimization and Simulation Based on Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control

“…Peng [11] proposed an improved multiple desired speed difference model, considering the influence of multivehicle information on the following vehicles. Zhang [12] presented a new optimal velocity function incorporating the desired safety distance, to describe the dynamic performance of car-following behavior. Tang [13] improved the full speed difference model by considering the influence of dual lead vehicle information, and thus enhanced the stability of the following vehicle.…”

Enhancing traffic flow and safety: modeling and simulation analysis of vehicle following in V2V environment

“…This kind of model is simple in form and can guarantee the safety of the vehicle when it is driving along, so it is adopted by many traffic simulation software. The safety-distance model uses speed to describe the response of the following vehicle to changes in the motion of the vehicle in front, but the simulated traffic volume is much smaller than the actual traffic volume, so it cannot truly describe the phenomenon of the vehicle following on the road [5,6]. The physiological-psychological following model believes that the driver can perceive the change of the relative speed of the two cars in front and behind by the change of the size of the car in front in the field of vision, and judge whether it is close to the car in front according to the preset perception threshold, so as to take appropriate measures to continue driving [7].…”