Haste induced behavior and VANET communication

In this paper, the impact of the knowledge of non local traffic state through vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) communication on traffic stability is studied through microscopic traffic simulation. In particular, the effect of this communication through modification of driver behavior is evaluated. Intra-driver behavior such as non negligible reaction time, anticipation, limited attention spans and perception error affect his inter-driver behavior like lane changing, keeping safe gap etc. Intuitively, it is felt that this behavior is further conditioned by external factors like frustration due to falling behind predefined schedules, congestion, inability to overtake or change lanes and behavior of other drivers etc. The warning and safety messages from other vehicles increase the available maneuvering time and mitigate the effects of intra-driver behavior. The look ahead capability allows the driver to plan his journey and eschew risks like shortened safety gap, lane changing frequency etc. Simulation results for various traffic scenarios demonstrate the potential of VANET communications on safety and traffic stability through modification of driver behavior.