COMPUTER SIMULATION OF DRIVER BEHAVIOR DURING CAR FOLLOWING: A METHODOLOGICAL STUDY

The applicability of complex information-processing computer models to the study of driver behavior was explored in a series of experimental and analytical studies. Verbal reports and objective performance measures were collected during controlled observations of car following on a four-lane limited-access highway. A model of the observed behavior was formulated in flow-chart form. The parameters of the model were examined and one parameter, threshold for a lead-car velocity change, was subjected to experimental study. The effects of rate and direction of velocity change and initial intervehicle separation were determined for three response measures. It was concluded that computer modeling is a feasible and useful approach to the study of driver behavior. Programming and testing of the current model, as well as additional experimental studies of the relevant parameters, is recommended. (Author)