Effect of type of lead vehicle on following headway behaviour in mixed traffic, Dr. Ravindra Kumar, Dr. Purnima Parida and Prof. Wafaa Saleh
Dr. Ravindra Kumar
Transportation Planning Department
CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, Delhi
India
Transport Research Institute, Edinburgh
UK
Email: ravindra261274@yahoo.co.in
Dr. Purnima Parida
Transportation Planning Department
CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, Delhi
India
Prof. Wafaa Saleh
Transport Research Institute, Edinburgh
UK
DOI: 10.1108/WJSTSD-08-2013-0036
Purpose: There is gap in literature on understanding of the issues of following headway behaviour of the driver and a lack of sufficient data in different traffic conditions. The purpose of this paper is to find the effects of type of lead vehicle on following headway in mixed traffic condition in India on different category of roads and flow.
Design/methodology/approach: Real-world headway data were collected through video and extracted. Data were analysed using tools and statically approach was adopted to present the results in detail.
Findings: Results shows the impact of type of lead vehicle on driver following time headway behaviour under different level of traffic and types of road characteristics. It was found that driver following behaviour is affected by the type of lead vehicle. It also shows that drivers are inconsistent in their choice of headway.
Research limitations/implications: This research has special strategic study area of India in typical two cities Silchar and Shillong of northeast region of India. The traffic characteristic and composition is quite different as compared to other cities of India. Therefore the study results cannot be generalized for whole India.
Practical implications: The result of the study has focused on impact of type of lead vehicle on following behaviour. This can be useful to safety reduction and changing the driver behaviour through education and display of information. However, the real application of this result is to be implemented by local transport and road managing authority to reduce accidents and increase safety of drivers.
Originality/value: In mixed traffic conditions, the impact of type of lead vehicle on following behaviour affects the safety of drivers and the accounting for such behaviour is never been explored in mixed traffic condition. If the study is implemented, it can be useful to simulation modeller and intelligent transport systems (ITS) to design and operate many in-vehicle systems for smooth traffic processes.
Keywords: Technology; Sustainable development; Sustainable environment; Science; Driver behaviour; Research institutions.
Citation: Kumar, R., Parida, P. and Saleh, W. (2014), "Effect of type of lead vehicle on following headway behaviour in mixed traffic", World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 28-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-08-2013-0036
