A mechanism to describe the formation and propagation of stop-and-go waves in congested freeway traffic.

This paper introduces a parsimonious theory for congested freeway traffic that describes the spontaneous appearance of oscillations and their ensuing transformation into stop-and-go waves. Based upon the analysis of detailed vehicle-trajectory data, we conclude that timid and aggressive driver behaviours are the cause for this transformation. We find that stop-and-go waves arise independently of the details of these behaviours. Analytical and simulation results are presented.