A Limited, Real-World Assessment of Key Autonomous Vehicle Car Following Models

This study aims at evaluating the performance of three commonly used car-following models in representing the longitudinal movement of autonomous vehicles (AVs) following traditional human-driven vehicles (TVs), based on both real-world data and simulation. Our ultimate goal is to assess the extent of discrepancies, if any, between the simulated and real-world AV response. We utilize real-world vehicle trajectory data collected from adaptive cruise control (ACC) equipped vehicles to compare the speed, acceleration profiles and vehicle position over time of modeled AVs and real-world observed AVs. Our observations suggest that the modeled AV longitudinal responses differ significantly from the real-world AVs. Overall, our study highlights the necessity of using the appropriate car-following models to ensure that all conclusions and decisions drawn about the operations and safety of AVs in platoons are well founded.