The vehicle following behavior is a self-organizing behavior that restores dynamic balance under the stimulation of external environmental factors. In fact, there are asymmetric problems in the process of acceleration and deceleration of drivers. The existing traditional models ignored the differences between acceleration and deceleration of vehicles. In order to solve this problem, the vehicles driving on the road are compared to interacting molecules. Vehicle following characteristics are studied and the molecular following model is established based on molecular dynamics. The model parameters under different conditions are calibrated considering the required safety distance by the vehicle and the reaction time of the driver. With the help of the vehicle running track graphs, speed and acceleration graphs, the numerical simulations of the molecular following model and the classical optimal speed vehicle following model are carried out. The results of comparative analysis show that the acceleration in the process of acceleration and deceleration is not constant, but more sensitive to the deceleration of the preceding vehicle than to the acceleration, and more sensitive to the acceleration / deceleration of the short-distance vehicle than to the acceleration / deceleration of the long-distance vehicle. Therefore, the molecular following model can better describe the vehicle following behavior, and the research results can provide theoretical basis and technical reference for the analysis of traffic flow dynamic characteristics and adaptive cruise control technology.
 

Car-following model; molecular dynamics; potential function; numerical simulation