Towards Simulating Heterogeneous Drivers with Cognitive Agents

Every driver behaves differently in traffic. However, when it comes to micro-simulation of drivers with a high level of detail no framework manages to model the complexities of various driving styles as well as scale up to larger simulations. We propose a framework of micro-simulation combined with cognitive agents to facilitate such simulation tasks. Our goal is to (i) model individual drivers, and (ii) use this framework for the purpose of simulating realistic highway traffic with heterogeneous driving styles. The challenge is therefore to create a framework that facilitates such complex modeling and supports large scale simulations. We evaluate the framework from two perspectives. First, the ability to represent, model and simulate dissimilar drivers in addition to study and compare emerging behavior. Second, the scalability of the framework. We report on our experiences with the framework, outline several challenges and identify future areas for development.