Traffic Dynamics: Studies in Car Following

Robert E. Chandler, Robert Herman and Elliott W. Montroll
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Robert E. Chandler: Research Staff, General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Michigan
Robert Herman: Research Staff, General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Michigan
Elliott W. Montroll: Research Staff, General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Michigan

Operations Research, 1958, vol. 6, issue 2, 165-184

Abstract: The manner in which vehicles follow each other on a highway (without passing) and the propagation disturbances down a line of vehicles has been investigated. Experimental data is presented which indicates that the acceleration at time t of a car which is attempting to follow a leader is proportional to the difference in velocity of the two cars at a time ( t - (Delta)), (Delta) being about 1.5 sec and the proportionality constant being about 0.37 sec -1 . It is shown theoretically that the motion of a long line of vehicles becomes unstable when the product of the lag time and the proportionality constant exceeds one-half. The experimental data implies that driving is done on the verge of instability. A variety of other laws of following is analyzed theoretically.

Date: 1958
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