A Time Gap Interval for Safe Following Distance (TGFD) in Avoiding Car Collision in Wireless Vehicular Networks (VANET) Environment

Driving is an intense and dynamic cooperation between human and vehicles. Drivers control the vehicle directly or supervise the situation according to information displayed on the instrument panel. Different from the time-headway and traditional braking models, this paper aims to propose a new safety indicator called time gap interval for safe following distance (TGFD) which incorporates vehicle dynamics and driver behavior factors that includes the time component to broadcast and propagate suitable safety messages in vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) environment. This simulation-based safety indicator could analyze the capability of a vehicle in a car-following situation to safely stop without hitting the vehicle in front when an emergency brake is applied by considering the proper reaction time of the driver of the following. Results from this simulation study indicate that the TGFD is more comprehensive safety indicator for safety analysis.