Results of Car Following Analyses Using Global Positioning System

Abstract

One of the key elements in the evolution of traffic flow theory has been the development of the car following theory. Applications of this research can be seen in traffic simulation models, such as CORSIM, that use car following models to simulate traffic flow and predict operational performance characteristics on arterial roadways. Researchers at Louisiana State University have recently developed a technique using the Global Positioning System to record and analyze car following behavior. In this study, these procedures were used to collect vehicle motion data and compare aspects of driver behavior recorded in the field to those predicted by the General Motors car following models. These comparisons were also used to develop numeric values of driver sensitivity and time lag from field data.