Safety-collision transition induced by lane changing in traffic flow

We study the traffic behavior when a vehicle changes from the first lane to the second lane on a two-lane highway. We apply the optimal velocity model to the vehicular motion. If the incoming vehicle does not decelerate successfully, it crashes into the vehicle ahead. On the other hand, if the headway between the incoming vehicle and the vehicle behind on the second lane is not long sufficiently, the rear vehicle may come into collision with the incoming vehicle. The safety-collision transition occurs by changing the lane. The dynamical transition depends highly on the vehicular speed, the sensitivity, and the headway. We derive the phase diagram (or region map) for the safety-collision transition. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.