Abstract
Virtually all proposed vehicle control system for highway automation must include a steady- state car- following mode. This mode was intensively investigated for various situations where headway and relative velocity inputs were used. In addition, a fundamental relationship between the flow capacity of an automated highway and and the small- signal longitudinal response of a vehicle was investigated. The predictions obtained from mathematical models of various car- following modes were compared to those from full- scale tests. It was concluded that a linear mathematical representation of the longitudinal dynamics was valid, and thus it could be used for predictive purposes.