Extreme fluctuation events in a simple high-density traffic model

We revisit a simple car-following model adapting it for simulating high-density traffic dynamics. Simulations in continuum space and discrete time are presented for the case of a single traffic lane, using periodic boundary conditions. The model parameters are fitted to empirical data for the mean car speed versus car density for densities higher than ≃ 50 vehicles / km. The time evolution of the car ensemble is studied upon application of different types of random perturbations yielding strong speed fluctuations in all cases, the latter characterized by probability distribution functions displaying fat tails. We attempt to study the phenomenon of stop-and-go along the lane in the absence of perturbations by assuming a stopping cutoff speed, and find the resulting behavior of the ensemble both in space and time. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.