The Effect of Discrete Headway and Relative Velocity Information on Car-Following Performance

Abstract An experiment was conducted to test the effect of relative velocity and headway information on car-following performances. A discrete deadband type display was used for each type of information. Those displays signalled for acceleration or deceleration to maintain target headways of both 70 and 200 feet behind a lead car executing random velocity patterns. Test variables were a type of display and deadband tolerances (bandwidth). Results indicated substantial improvement in headway variances at 200 feet. Target distances with the use of displays and relative improvement for both target distances and use of both displays and tighter bandwidths improved car-following performance.