Influence of Autonomous Vehicles on Car-Following Behavior of Human Drivers

Author(s):  
Yalda Rahmati ◽  
Mohammadreza Khajeh Hosseini ◽  
Alireza Talebpour ◽  
Benjamin Swain ◽  
Christopher Nelson

Despite numerous studies on general human–robot interactions, in the context of transportation, automated vehicle (AV)–human driver interaction is not a well-studied subject. These vehicles have fundamentally different decision-making logic compared with human drivers and the driving interactions between AVs and humans can potentially change traffic flow dynamics. Accordingly, through an experimental study, this paper investigates whether there is a difference between human–human and human–AV interactions on the road. This study focuses on car-following behavior and conducted several car-following experiments utilizing Texas A&M University’s automated Chevy Bolt. Utilizing NGSIM US-101 dataset, two scenarios for a platoon of three vehicles were considered. For both scenarios, the leader of the platoon follows a series of speed profiles extracted from the NGSIM dataset. The second vehicle in the platoon can be either another human-driven vehicle (scenario A) or an AV (scenario B). Data is collected from the third vehicle in the platoon to characterize the changes in driving behavior when following an AV. A data-driven and a model-based approach were used to identify possible changes in driving behavior from scenario A to scenario B. The findings suggested there is a statistically significant difference between human drivers’ behavior in these two scenarios and human drivers felt more comfortable following the AV. Simulation results also revealed the importance of capturing these changes in human behavior in microscopic simulation models of mixed driving environments.

Author(s):  
Xiao Qi ◽  
Ying Ni ◽  
Yiming Xu ◽  
Ye Tian ◽  
Junhua Wang ◽  
...  

A large portion of the accidents involving autonomous vehicles (AVs) are not caused by the functionality of AV, but rather because of human intervention, since AVs’ driving behavior was not properly understood by human drivers. Such misunderstanding leads to dangerous situations during interaction between AV and human-driven vehicle (HV). However, few researches considered HV-AV interaction safety in AV safety evaluation processes. One of the solutions is to let AV mimic a normal HV’s driving behavior so as to avoid misunderstanding to the most extent. Therefore, to evaluate the differences of driving behaviors between existing AV and HV is necessary. DRIVABILITY is defined in this study to characterize the similarity between AV’s driving behaviors and expected behaviors by human drivers. A driving behavior spectrum reference model built based on human drivers’ behaviors is proposed to evaluate AVs’ car-following drivability. The indicator of the desired reaction time (DRT) is proposed to characterize the car-following drivability. Relative entropy between the DRT distribution of AV and that of the entire human driver population are used to quantify the differences between driving behaviors. A human driver behavior spectrum was configured based on naturalistic driving data by human drivers collected in Shanghai, China. It is observed in the numerical test that amongst all three types of preset AVs in the well-received simulation package VTD, the brisk AV emulates a normal human driver to the most extent (ranking at 55th percentile), while the default AV and the comfortable AV rank at 35th and 8th percentile, respectively.


2014 ◽  
Vol 701-702 ◽  
pp. 492-497
Author(s):  
Teng Yue Ba ◽  
Xi Qiang Guan ◽  
Jian Wu Zhang

In this paper, subspace identification methods are proposed to estimate the linear tire cornering stiffness, which are only based on the road tests data without any prior knowledge. This kind of data-driven method has strong robustness. In order to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithms, a series of standard road tests are carried out. Comparing with different subspace algorithms used in road tests, it can be concluded that the front tire cornering stiffness can be estimated accurately by the N4SID and CCA methods when the double lane change test data are taken into analysis.


Author(s):  
Serge P. Hoogendoorn ◽  
Hein Botma

A simple analysis to derive Branston’s generalized queueing model for (time-) headway distributions is presented. It is assumed that the total headway is the sum of two independent random variables: the empty zone and the free-flowing headway. The parameters of the model can be used to examine various characteristics of both the road (e.g., capacity) and driver-vehicle combinations (e.g., following behavior). Furthermore, the model can be applied to vehicle generation in microscopic simulation models and to safety analysis. To estimate the different parameters in the model, a new estimation method is proposed. This method, which was developed on the basis of Fourier-series analysis, was successfully applied to measurements collected on two-lane rural roads. The method was found to be both computationally less demanding and more robust than traditional parameter techniques procedures, such as maximum likelihood. In addition, the method provides more accurate results. Parameters in the model were examined with the developed estimation method. Estimates of these parameters at a specific period and a specific measurement location were to some extent transferable to other periods and locations. Application of the method to road capacity estimation is discussed.


Author(s):  
Meng Xie ◽  
Michael Winsor ◽  
Tao Ma ◽  
Andreas Rau ◽  
Fritz Busch ◽  
...  

This paper aims to evaluate the sensitivity of the proposed cooperative dynamic bus lane system with microscopic traffic simulation models. The system creates a flexible bus priority lane that is only activated on demand at an appropriate time with advanced information and communication technologies, which can maximize the use of road space. A decentralized multi-lane cooperative algorithm is developed and implemented in a microscopic simulation environment to coordinate lane changing, gap acceptance, and car-following driving behavior for the connected vehicles (CVs) on the bus lane and the adjacent lanes. The key parameters for the sensitivity study include the penetration rate and communication range of CVs, considering the transition period and gradual uptake of CVs. Multiple scenarios are developed and compared to analyze the impact of key parameters on the system’s performance, such as total saved travel time of all passengers and travel time variation among buses and private vehicles. The microscopic simulation models showed that the cooperative dynamic bus lane system is significantly sensitive to the variations of the penetration rate and the communication range in a congested traffic state. With a CV system and a communication range of 150 m, buses obtain maximum benefits with minimal impacts on private vehicles in the study simulation. The safety concerns induced by cooperative driving behavior are also discussed in this paper.


2018 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 13017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Surtia Bachtiar ◽  
Purnawan ◽  
Reri Afrianita ◽  
Randa Anugerah

This study aims to validate CO dispersion model due to the position of the road toward the dominant wind direction on the transport sector. Sampling for modelling was done on the road with the road angle to wind direction is 0 degree (Jend. A. Yani Road), 30 degree (Andalas Road) and 60 degree (Prof. Dr. Hamka Road). CO dispersion model was obtained from the relations between CO concentration with traffic volume, traffic speed, wind speed and dominant wind direction. Sampling for validation was done at three location points, i.e. Jend. Ahmad Yani Road, By Pass Road and Dr. Wahidin Road, each of which has a position of 0, 45 and 90 degrees toward dominant wind direction. Sampling for CO was done using impinger. Measurement of traffic characteristics and meteorological conditions was performed in conjunction with CO sampling. Validation test was done by using Pearson Product Moment formula and Test of Two Variance. Results of the Two-Variance Test showed no significant difference between two concentrations of CO model and CO measurement. It showed the Test Ratio (RUf) smaller than the Critical Point. Validation test using Pearson Product Moment showed that the CO model can be used for predicting CO dispersion.


Author(s):  
Harald Witt ◽  
Carl G. Hoyos

Accident statistics and studies of driving behavior have shown repeatedly that curved roads are hazardous. It was hypothesized that the safety of curves could be improved by indicating in advance the course of the road in a more effective way than do traditional road signs. A code of sequences of stripes put on right edge of the pavement was developed to indicate to the driver the radius of the curve ahead. The main characteristic of this code was the frequency of transitions from code elements to gaps between elements. The effect of these markings was investigated on a driving simulator. Twelve subjects drove on simulated roads of different curvature and with different placement of the code in the approach zone. Some positive effects of the advance information could be observed. The subjects drove more steadily, more precisely, and with a more suitable speed profile.


Transport ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingrong Sun ◽  
Na Wu ◽  
Ying-En Ge ◽  
Taewan Kim ◽  
Hongjun Michael Zhang

For decades, the general motors (gm) car following model has received a great deal of attention and provided a basic framework to describe the interactions between vehicles on the road. It is based on the stimulus-response assumption that the following vehicle responds to the relative speed between the lead vehicle and itself. However, some of the empirical findings show that the assumption of gm model is not always true and need some modification. For example, the acceleration of the following vehicle is very sensitive to the sign of the relative speed and because of no term in the model that directly represents the leader’s acceleration, the follower’s response to the leader’s acceleration can be retarded. This paper offers a new car-following model that can be considered as a variant of the gm model that can better capture car following behavior. The new model treats the follower’s acceleration as a proportion of a weighted sum of the leader’s acceleration and the relative speed between the lead and following vehicles. This paper compares the new model with the original gm model numerically and the characteristics of the new parameters in the model are investigated. It is also shown that the new model overcomes the shortcomings of the original gm model identified in this paper and gives us more instruments to capture the real-world car-following behavior.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 660-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udara Eshan Manawadu ◽  
◽  
Masaaki Ishikawa ◽  
Mitsuhiro Kamezaki ◽  
Shigeki Sugano ◽  
...  

<div class=""abs_img""><img src=""[disp_template_path]/JRM/abst-image/00270006/08.jpg"" width=""300"" /> Driving simulator</div>Intelligent passenger vehicles with autonomous capabilities will be commonplace on our roads in the near future. These vehicles will reshape the existing relationship between the driver and vehicle. Therefore, to create a new type of rewarding relationship, it is important to analyze when drivers prefer autonomous vehicles to manually-driven (conventional) vehicles. This paper documents a driving simulator-based study conducted to identify the preferences and individual driving experiences of novice and experienced drivers of autonomous and conventional vehicles under different traffic and road conditions. We first developed a simplified driving simulator that could connect to different driver-vehicle interfaces (DVI). We then created virtual environments consisting of scenarios and events that drivers encounter in real-world driving, and we implemented fully autonomous driving. We then conducted experiments to clarify how the autonomous driving experience differed for the two groups. The results showed that experienced drivers opt for conventional driving overall, mainly due to the flexibility and driving pleasure it offers, while novices tend to prefer autonomous driving due to its inherent ease and safety. A further analysis indicated that drivers preferred to use both autonomous and conventional driving methods interchangeably, depending on the road and traffic conditions.


Author(s):  
Yiqi Gao ◽  
Theresa Lin ◽  
Francesco Borrelli ◽  
Eric Tseng ◽  
Davor Hrovat

Two frameworks based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) for obstacle avoidance with autonomous vehicles are presented. A given trajectory represents the driver intent. An MPC has to safely avoid obstacles on the road while trying to track the desired trajectory by controlling front steering angle and differential braking. We present two different approaches to this problem. The first approach solves a single nonlinear MPC problem. The second approach uses a hierarchical scheme. At the high-level, a trajectory is computed on-line, in a receding horizon fashion, based on a simplified point-mass vehicle model in order to avoid an obstacle. At the low-level an MPC controller computes the vehicle inputs in order to best follow the high level trajectory based on a nonlinear vehicle model. This article presents the design and comparison of both approaches, the method for implementing them, and successful experimental results on icy roads.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 7984
Author(s):  
Prabu Subramani ◽  
Khalid Nazim Abdul Sattar ◽  
Rocío Pérez de Prado ◽  
Balasubramanian Girirajan ◽  
Marcin Wozniak

Connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) currently promise cooperation between vehicles, providing abundant and real-time information through wireless communication technologies. In this paper, a two-level fusion of classifiers (TLFC) approach is proposed by using deep learning classifiers to perform accurate road detection (RD). The proposed TLFC-RD approach improves the classification by considering four key strategies such as cross fold operation at input and pre-processing using superpixel generation, adequate features, multi-classifier feature fusion and a deep learning classifier. Specifically, the road is classified as drivable and non-drivable areas by designing the TLFC using the deep learning classifiers, and the detected information using the TLFC-RD is exchanged between the autonomous vehicles for the ease of driving on the road. The TLFC-RD is analyzed in terms of its accuracy, sensitivity or recall, specificity, precision, F1-measure and max F measure. The TLFC- RD method is also evaluated compared to three existing methods: U-Net with the Domain Adaptation Model (DAM), Two-Scale Fully Convolutional Network (TFCN) and a cooperative machine learning approach (i.e., TAAUWN). Experimental results show that the accuracy of the TLFC-RD method for the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute (KITTI) dataset is 99.12% higher than its competitors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document