Cellular automata models of highway traffic

Cellular automata (CA) provide a simple and intuitive approach for modelling interdisciplinary problems. We discuss the basic principles which have lead to the development of realistic CA models for the description of highway traffic. Sophisticated models reproduce even the microscopic structure of traffic flow and have shed some light on the relation between the observed traffic phases and the behaviour of the drivers. Due to the simplicity of the models even large networks can be simulated faster than real time and so traffic forecasting has become possible.