Breakdown in vehicular traffic: driver over-acceleration, not over-reaction

Abstract

Contrary to a wide-accepted assumption about the decisive role of driver over-reaction for breakdown in vehicular traffic, we have shown that the cause of the breakdown is driver over-acceleration, not driver over-reaction. To reach this goal, we have introduced a mathematical approach for the description of driver over-acceleration in a microscopic traffic flow model. The model, in which no driver over-reaction occurs, explains all observed empirical nucleation features of traffic breakdown.