Tactical Decisions for Lane Changes or Lane Following? Development of a Study Design for Automated Driving

Abstract

Overtaking slower vehicles on a highway usually involves lane changes. This paper examines a large number of non-automated as well as automated lane changes on the basis of two datasets. The focus is on the relationship between the velocity of the preceding vehicle being overtaken and the target velocity of the vehicle involved in changing lane and overtaking. Based on this, a study design is developed and should enable human-centered investigation of the preferred points in time for automated lane changes. In order to identify further characteristics of an automated journey that can influence the preferred lane change behavior, expert interviews were conducted, to be taken into consideration in the study design. According to this, non-driving related tasks play an essential role in the proposed driving study.