A simulation study on the effects of platoon gaps on driver cut-in behaviour

• Main Author: Khor, Lydia Chong Yen
• Other Authors: Su Rong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/176978
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

A vehicle platoon is a group of vehicles that travel together at similar speeds and with a short inter-vehicle gap between each other, known as the platoon gap. Drivers engage in several traffic challenges frequently, and one of these challenges involve cut-in situations. These situations occur when a driver changes lanes and moves into the space in front of another vehicle that is following closely behind. Driver cut-in behaviour refers to the decision-making process of whether a driver decides to cut into the lane beside it or not. Understanding driver cut-in behaviour in response to platoon gaps is essential for the enhancement and advancement of traffic flow and safety on the roads. This study uses the results of a volunteer’s driving simulation experiment to investigate the effects of platoon gaps on driver cut-in behaviour by varying the accelerations of vehicles, instead of directly varying the platoon gap sizes. In the experiment, 9 participants were tasked to drive the ego vehicle and cut in between the target follower and target leader in the platoon. The target follower was set to drive at an initial velocity of 30m/s with 4 different accelerations, 0 m/s2, 0.2 m/s2, 0.4 m/s2 and 0.6 m/s2. The results suggest that an acceleration of 0.6 m/s2 is the most successful in preventing participants from cutting in, while the acceleration of 0 m/s2 was found to be the least successful. Overall, this study hopes to give a better understanding of driver cut-in behaviour in response to platoon gaps, with the variation of vehicle acceleration, offering more insights for the design and implementation of future transportation systems.