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Article

How Traffic Congestion Affects Driver Behavior: An Empirical Analysis Using Drone Data

교통 혼잡이 운전자 행동에 미치는 영향: 드론 데이터 기반 실증 연구

Youngjun HAN1
,
Jinhak LEE2*
한 영준1
,
이 진학2*
1Research Fellow, Smart Transportation Research Division, The Seoul Institute, Seoul 06756, Korea
2Researcher, Smart Transportation Research Division, The Seoul Institute, Seoul 06756, Korea
1서울연구원 스마트교통연구실 연구위원
2서울연구원 스마트교통연구실 연구원
*Corresponding Author
30 June 2026. pp. 418-431
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Abstract

This study investigates changes in driver characteristics as a result of experiencing traffic congestion. Novel vehicle trajectory data were generated from drone videos that captured the onset of traffic breakdown, and an extended Newell’s car-following model adopting the dynamic driver characteristics was applied to describe the drivers’ response to traffic disturbances. Notably, this study compares two distinct sites where traffic flow evolves from a free-flow and a congested state, respectively, to identify behavioral differences across conditions. The results show that drivers generally maintain larger headways after experiencing congestion, indicating a change in driver characteristics toward more timid behavior. This behavioral change is more pronounced when the traffic initially evolves from a free flow state. Furthermore, the degree of characteristic change is positively correlated with the severity of congestion. These microscopic features of car-following behavior contribute to a diminished discharge rate following congestion, thus providing a microscopic explanation linking a macroscopic capacity drop phenomenon.

Keywords
capacity drop
car-following behavior
driver characteristic
drone
traffic breakdown
vehicle trajectory

이 연구는 교통 혼잡을 경험하면서 운전자 특성이 어떻게 변화하는지를 실증적으로 분석하였다. 교통 혼잡이 발생하는 시점을 드론으로 촬영하여 개별 차량의 궤적 데이터를 구축하고, 가변적인 운전자 특성을 반영한 확장된 Newell 차량추종모형을 적용하여 교통 혼잡에 대한 운전자 반응을 분석하였다. 특히, 교통류가 자유류 상태에서 혼잡 상태로 전이되는 지점과 이미 혼잡 상태에서 혼잡이 심화되는 지점을 비교함으로써, 기존 교통 상태에 따른 운전자 행태의 차이를 규명하고자 하였다. 분석 결과, 운전자는 혼잡을 경험한 이후 전반적으로 더 큰 차두거리를 유지하는 경향을 보였는데, 이는 운전자의 특성이 보다 보수적인 방향으로 변화함을 의미한다. 이러한 행동 변화는 교통류가 자유류 상태에서 혼잡 상태로 전이되는 경우에 더욱 뚜렷하게 나타났으며, 운전자 특성 변화 정도는 혼잡의 심각도와 양의 상관관계를 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 차량추종 행태의 미시적 특성은 혼잡 발생 이후 통과교통량 감소로 이어지며, 거시적 관점에서 관측되는 용량 감소(capacity drop) 현상을 설명하는 미시적 근거를 제공한다.

키워드
용량 감소
차량추종 행태
운전자 특성
드론
혼잡 발생
차량 궤적
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Transportation
  • Publisher(Ko) :대한교통학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
  • Journal Title(Ko) :대한교통학회지
  • Volume : 44
  • No :3
  • Pages :418-431
  • Received Date : 2026-01-09
  • Revised Date : 2026-02-04
  • Accepted Date : 2026-03-11
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7470/jkst.2026.44.3.418
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