Lane-Changing and Other Discrete-Choice Situations

Simulating any nontrivial traffic situation requires describing not only acceleration and braking but also lane changes. When modeling traffic flow on entire road networks, additional discrete-choice situations arise such as deciding if it is safe to enter a priority road, or if cruising or stopping is the appropriate driver’s reaction when approaching a traffic light which is about to change to red. This chapter presents a unified utility-based modeling framework for such decisions at the most basic operative level.