Analyses on the heterogeneity of carfollowing behaviour: Evidence from a crosscultural driving simulator study

Driving behaviours have been proved sensitive to the cultural background. This study aims to investigate the heterogeneity of car-following behaviour between and within Chinese and German driver groups. A driving simulator-based experiment was designed and conducted. Participants were asked to drive through two scenarios: (i) Leading vehicle with high speed; braking after a specific distance. (ii) Leading vehicle with a frequently changing speed; braking after a specific distance. Totally 41 participants' (20 Chinese; 21 German) car-following behaviours were recorded. Desired safety margin (DSM) model was used to conclude each participant's driving character in car following. Heterogeneity between and within participant groups was investigated through statistical analysis of five driving behaviour parameters. Results showed that Chinese participants had a higher degree of heterogeneity for acceleration sensitivity parameter in Scenario 2. German participants had a higher value of the lower limit of DSM in Scenario 1. The authors also found that four out of five driving behaviour parameters were observed sensitive to the scenario. This study may provide support for researches on the traffic flows' cross-cultural difference and the technique transferring from developed country to developing country.