Sensitivity analysis of driver behavior under emergency conditions

Under emergency situations, citizens are often forced to evacuate an inhabited area for their own safety. During this process, drivers´ behavior becomes a very important factor determining vehicle movements in the affected area. In this research, the impact of driver aggressiveness on traffic flow properties related to evacuation, such as travel time to the safe zones, is modeled through microscopic simulation and the use of detailed driver behavior models. A sensitivity analysis examining the impact of each individual model on the network is first performed, followed by an analysis of the interaction of the most influential models. The findings of this research can be useful in developing realistic evacuation strategies and plans, in which the expected impact of the drivers´ behavior due to their stress is explicitly taken into consideration.