Effect of headway and velocity on safety–collision transition induced by lane changing in traffic flow

We study the traffic behavior when a vehicle changes from the first lane to the second lane on a two-lane highway. The incoming vehicle decelerates or accelerates by interacting with the vehicle ahead or behind on the second lane. We apply the extended optimal velocity model to the vehicular motion to take into account the velocity difference. We investigate whether or not the incoming vehicle collides with the vehicles ahead or behind. We derive such conditions that the incoming vehicle comes into collision with the vehicles ahead or behind. The safety–collision transition occurs by changing the lane. The dynamic transition depends highly on the headway, the vehicular speed, the sensitivity, and the velocity difference. We present the phase diagram (or region map) for the safety–collision transition.