Lane Change Maneuver Modeling for Accident Reconstruction Applications 2002-01-0817

Lane change maneuvers are often implemented in typical driving applications and more severe swerving maneuvers are occasionally performed in order to avoid motor vehicle collisions. For accident reconstruction purposes, it is necessary to accurately model the vehicle motion and driver response during a lane change maneuver. A theoretical lane change model was developed in order to determine the expected vehicle dynamics including lateral, longitudinal and angular vehicle displacements during the lane change maneuver. This model is based on the vehicle speed, peak and average accelerations, and driver steering input. The theoretical model was then compared to a limited number of real world staged lane change maneuvers conducted with instrumented vehicles over a small range of speeds, accelerations and displacements. The lane change model was found to closely simulate the vehicle motion as recorded during the staged tests. The derived lane change model was also compared to existing models and statistical comparisons were conducted.