Revealing the lateral interference of lateral organization of automated truck platoon on surrounding manual vehicles

Abstract

Automated truck platoon (ATP) represents a promising near-term automated mobility solution that can advance road sustainability by reducing pavement wear when configured with lateral offsets. As ATPs will initially share the roadway with human-driven vehicles (HDVs) before a full shift to autonomous transport, understanding how ATP lateral organization affects adjacent-lane HDVs is critical to preventing unintended safety risks. To address this gap, we first conducted driving simulation experiments with 38 nonprofessional commuters to quantify the effects of lateral-offset ATPs on driver behavior. We then compared the critical lateral distances between driving simulation data and naturalistic driving data using nonparametric probability model, and used Monte Carlo simulation on naturalistic driving data to model ATP‐induced interference under varying distribution scenarios. Our results show that lateral‐offset ATPs induce significantly greater lateral deviations and speed reduction for HDV, especially on curves. Specifically, ATP elevates driver fear perception score by 22.77 %, increases lateral deviation of HDV by 38.46 %, and raises interference probability by 25 %. Moreover, drivers’ responses to ATPs do not fully align with risk-homeostasis theory. Based on these insights, we recommend limiting ATP lateral dispersion, particularly avoiding right-biased formations, and prohibiting such configurations on curved segments. By clarifying how lateral organization of ATP shapes mixed-traffic dynamics, this study informs the safe integration of platooning technologies into existing road networks.