How human drivers control their vehicle

Abstract

The data presented here show that human drivers apply a discrete noisy control mechanism to drive their vehicle. A car-following model built on these observations, together with some physical limitations (crash-freeness, acceleration), led to non-Gaussian probability distributions in the speed difference and distance which are in good agreement with empirical data. All model parameters have a clear physical meaning and can be measured. Despite its apparent complexity, this model is simple to understand and might serve as a starting point to develop even quantitatively correct models.

5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PRL

References in corpus (4)

• Traffic and Related Self-Driven Many-Particle Systems
• Statistical Physics of Vehicular Traffic and Some Related Systems
• Deterministic approach to microscopic three-phase traffic theory
• A Bounded Rational Driver Model

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Traffic experiment reveals the nature of car-following
• Microscopic driving theory with oscillatory congested states: model and empirical verification
• Application of thermodynamics to driven systems
• Intermittent Control Properties of Car Following: Theory and Driving Simulator Experiments
• Statistical Properties of Car Following: Theory and Driving Simulator Experiments
• Cellular automaton model simulating spatiotemporal patterns, phase transitions and evolution concavity in traffic flow
• On some experimental features of car-following behavior and how to model them