A new overtaking model and numerical tests

A new model for overtaking on highway is proposed. The model considers such important factors as the reactive delay time for vehicle acceleration, deceleration, and lane-changing, the safe distance for car-following and the distance for overtaking. The time required for overtaking, the time loss in overtaking procedure and the space–time evolution of vehicle movement are numerically investigated using the model and compared with the results from a survey. Numerical results show that our model can generate the traffic in accord with the observed one. The overtaking in a two-lane bidirectional traffic flow is also analyzed.