Tools for safety-throughput analysis of automated highway systems

The development of two tools to study the performance of automated highways is presented. The first is a spacing tool that produces the minimum spacing necessary for two vehicles not to collide, as a function of their initial velocities and their deceleration capabilities. The second tool investigates the multiple collisions that may occur in a string of vehicles if the requirements made by the first tool are violated. We show how the tools can be used to obtain estimates of the safety and throughput that can be expected if various automated highway concepts are implemented