Both a lack of understanding of the issues of following headway behaviour of the driver and a lack of sufficient data in different traffic conditions have been major reasons to attempt this research study. This paper attempts to address the hypotheses of the effects of the lead vehicle on following headway by measuring following headway in as wide a variety of conditions as possible on roads.
The study has been carried out from real-world data collected through video and instrumented vehicle using Video VBox. The hypothesis has been examined in detail.
Results provide an overview of the impact of this study in particular, on driver-following under (i) The level of traffic flow that affects driver behaviour in terms of time headway (ii) Driver following behaviour in terms of time headway varies with road characteristics (iii) Driver following behaviour is affected by the type of lead vehicle. (iv) Drivers are inconsistent in their choice of headway.
Under mixed traffic conditions, following the lead vehicle affects the safety of drivers and accounting for such behaviour remains unknown. The study enables simulation modeller and intelligent transport systems (ITS) to design and operate many in-vehicle systems for smooth traffic processes.
The research conducted in this study is related to the typical north-east region of India where traffic flow is relative low and of a different mix, so further research should carried out in different parts of India to generalise the problem.
The study contributes to an understanding of how lead vehicles might influence gap maintenance behaviour in mixed traffic conditions. The results will help in the reduction of accidents and increase safety policies for drivers.
