A computer simulation model of driver-vehicle performance at intersections

Abstract

Problems of safety and efficiency in present day highway traffic systems are receiving considerable attention. Much of this attention is being focused upon the driving task. Driving an automobile encompasses extremely complex patterns of behavior involving sensory, perceptual, decision making and response processes. Current knowledge of the effects of the variables influencing this behavior, and of their interactions, is quite limited. For many aspects of the driving task the relevant variables have not even been identified. These considerations suggest at least two approaches to the study of the driving task. First, an analytical approach is required to help identify the variables involved in automobile driving. Second, experimental studies are needed to determine the effects of specific combinations of these variables.