Study of passing gap acceptance behavior using a driving simulator

This paper presents research to evaluate drivers' passing maneuvers on two-lane rural roads using data collected with STISIM, an interactive driving simulator. In addition to the observations of driving behavior obtained in the simulator experiments, drivers' socioeconomic characteristics and indicators of their driving style were collected using self-reported questionnaires. The participants were asked to drive a 9.5 km twolane rural road section with no intersections. The positions and speeds of the subject vehicle and the other simulated vehicles were recorded at a resolution of 0.1 seconds. The data collected in the experiment was used to develop a model that explains drivers' passing decisions. The results indicate that the speed of the subject vehicle and its relations to the vehicle being passed are the most important factors affecting passing behavior. In addition, drivers' socio-demographic characteristics and driving styles also affect passing decisions.