IHSDM: Driver/Vehicle Module

The objective of the Driver/Vehicle Module is to permit the user to evaluate how a driver would operate a vehicle (e.g., passenger car or tractor-trailer) within the context of a roadway design and to identify whether conditions exist in a given design that could result in loss of vehicle control (e.g., skidding or rollover).

The Module will consist of a Driver Performance Model linked to a Vehicle Dynamics Model. Driver performance is influenced by cues from the roadway/vehicle system (i.e., drivers modify their behavior based on feedback from the vehicle and the roadway). Vehicle performance is, in turn, affected by driver behavior/performance. The Driver Performance Model will estimate a driver's speed and path along a two-lane rural highway in the absence of other traffic. The resulting estimates will serve as input to the Vehicle Dynamics Model, which will estimate measures including lateral acceleration, friction demand, and rolling moment.

An alpha version of the Driver/Vehicle Module for passenger cars has been completed and is undergoing in-house testing. A contracted effort is underway to complete the Driver/Vehicle Module for heavy vehicles. The Driver/Vehicle Module is not included in the current release of IHSDM.

See IHSDM Libary for References.