A Virtual Vehicle–Based Car-Following Model to Reproduce Hazmat Truck Drivers’ Differential Behaviors

Enhancing hazmat truck safety through advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) relies on both system efficacy and driver reactions. This study investigates the driving behaviors of hazmat truck drivers in response to forward collision warnings (FCWs). Traditional warning triggering methods struggle to capture diverse and immediate driver responses; therefore, our research employs a vision-based framework for driving data extraction and utilizes the K-means++ clustering method for response-based classification. Moreover, we propose an enhanced version of the intelligent driver model (IDM) based on the concept of a virtual vehicle to reproduce hazmat truck drivers’ differential behaviors during risky car-following periods, achieving results that depict improved driving simulations. This model is compared with classic benchmarks, including the IDM, optimal velocity model (OVM), and full velocity difference (FVD) model, demonstrating superior performance in terms of traffic stability and safety in extreme scenarios. Our findings highlight that preaction drivers tend to accelerate before receiving warnings, opting to overtake rather than maintain safe distances. In contrast, calm drivers decelerate in anticipation of the warning, showcasing their awareness of maintaining safety. The analysis reveals that aggressive drivers are predominantly in the 41–45 age group, indicating a higher skill level, while calm drivers are more commonly older, reflecting a trend in cautious driving behaviors. Overall, our research contributes to the development of effective ADAS by considering real-time driver responses and emphasizes the potential of our model to revolutionize commercial ADAS adoption and enhance road safety for hazmat operations.