Single-vehicle data of highway traffic: a statistical analysis

Phys Rev E Stat Phys Plasmas Fluids Relat Interdiscip Topics. 1999 Dec;60(6 Pt A):6480-90. doi: 10.1103/physreve.60.6480.

Abstract

In the present paper, single-vehicle data of highway traffic are analyzed in great detail. By using the single-vehicle data directly, empirical time headway distributions and speed-distance relations can be established. Both quantities yield relevant information about the microscopic states. Several fundamental diagrams are also presented, which are based on time-averaged quantities and compared with earlier empirical investigations. In the remaining part, time-series analyses of the averaged as well as the single-vehicle data are carried out. The results will be used in order to propose objective criteria for an identification of the different traffic states, e.g., synchronized traffic.