Neural Agent Car-Following Models

This paper presents a car-following model that was developed using a neural network approach for mapping perceptions to actions. The model has a similar formulation to the desired spacing models that do not consider reaction time or attempt to explain the behavioral aspects of car following. The model´s performance was evaluated based on field data and compared to a number of existing car-following models. The results showed that neural network models outperformed the Gipps and psychophysical family of car-following models. A qualitative drift behavior analysis also confirmed the findings. The model was validated at the microscopic and macroscopic levels, and the results showed very close agreement between field data and model outputs. Local and asymptotic stability analysis results also demonstrated the robustness of the model under mild and severe traffic disturbances