Development of Tools to Model Driver Behavior in a Cooperative and Driverless Vehicle Mixed Roadway Environment

As the definitions of vehicles and drivers enter a constant state of change, the current state of understanding and analysis will no longer be sufficient. The objective of this research is to design a new simulation and modeling approach capable of reflecting emerging (e.g. aggressive) driver behavior in interactions with cooperative and autonomous vehicles using open simulation platforms (such as SUMO ‐ Simulation of Urban Mobility, Krajzewicz et al. 2012) that provide the flexibility lacking in current commercial platforms. This model will likely take a modular agent based simulation approach, where the vehicle types, behaviors, and abilities may be readily updated. Models must provide easily acceptable interfaces, allowing for data exchange with new agents. Modelers must have an ability to create agents (i.e., new drivers, vehicles, etc.) with diverse behaviors. For example, a driver willing to force a merge that requires a cooperative/autonomous vehicle (AV) to undertake significant deceleration to avoid a collision. With such a modeling tool, analysis into the ever changing technological environment may then be efficiently conducted. At presented, a critical component in the determination of the impact of many of these technologies is the human interaction with the technology. However, the assumption that interacting non-AV drivers will be aggressive, without evidence to support this supposition, is no more valid than assuming behaviors will not change. Thus, a second objective of this research is to seek validation through surveys, focus groups, or field experiments of how changing vehicle technologies may influence driver behavior in these interactions. Of particular focus will be increased driver aggression. Aspects of driver aggression include excessive speed, frequent or unsafe lane changes, failure to signal, tailgating, failure to yield the right of way, and disregarding traffic controls.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $350000
• Contract Numbers:

  RP 18-23 (Master RP 17-21)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Georgia Department of Transportation

  One Georgia Center
  600 West Peachtree Street, NW
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30308
• Project Managers:

  Roney, Brennan

• Performing Organizations:

  Georgia Tech Research Corporation

  505 Tenth Street
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0420
• Principal Investigators:

  Hunter, Michael

• Start Date: 20190111
• Expected Completion Date: 20210111
• Actual Completion Date: 20220111

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggression; Autonomous vehicles; Behavior; Drivers; Simulation; Technological innovations; Validation; Vehicle mix
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01702275
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Georgia Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: RP 18-23 (Master RP 17-21)
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 19 2019 3:59PM