Car-following behavior of connected vehicles in a mixed traffic flow: modeling and stability analysis

Abstract

Vehicle-to-vehicle communications can change the driving behavior of drivers significantly by providing them rich information on downstream traffic flow conditions. This study seeks to model the varying car-following behaviors involving connected vehicles and human-driving vehicles in mixed traffic flow. A revised car-following model is developed using an intelligent driver model (IDM) to capture drivers' perceptions of their preceding traffic conditions through vehicle-to-vehicle communications. Stability analysis of the mixed traffic flow is conducted for a specific case. Numerical results show that the stable region is apparently enlarged compared with the IDM.