Driver/Vehicle Module
The objective of the Driver/Vehicle Module is to permit the user to evaluate how a driver would operate a vehicle (e.g., passenger car or tractor-trailer) within the context of a roadway design and to identify whether conditions exist in a given design that could result in loss of vehicle control (e.g., skidding or rollover).
The Driver/Vehicle Module consists of a Driver Performance Model linked to a Vehicle Dynamics Model. Driver performance is influenced by cues from the roadway/vehicle system (i.e., drivers modify their behavior based on feedback from the vehicle and the roadway). Vehicle performance is, in turn, affected by driver behavior/performance. The Driver Performance Model estimates a driver's speed and path along a two-lane rural highway in the absence of other traffic. The resulting estimates serve as input to the Vehicle Dynamics Model, which estimates measures including lateral acceleration, friction demand, and rolling moment.