A statistical theory of traffic flow on highways—I. Steady-state flow in low-density limit

A SIMPLE BUT REALISTIC MODEL OF TRAFFIC FLOW ON HIGHWAYS IS DEVELOPED FOR ANALYSIS BY AN INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED THEORY. THE MODEL UTILIZES A DISTRIBUTION OF DESIRED SPEEDS BY THE CARS AND CERTAIN DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE PASSING BEHAVIOR OF THE CARS. THIS PAPER TREATS STEADY- STATE FLOW ON UNIFORM ROADWAYS IN THE LIMIT OF DENSITIES SO LOW THAT NO QUEUING NEED BE CONSIDERED. CORRECTIONS TO THE DESIRED LANE BEHAVIOR CAUSED BY PASSING ARE FORMULATED EXPLICITLY, AND EXAMPLES ARE WORKED OUT FOR BOTH CONTINUOUS AND DISCRETE VELOCITY SPACES. /AUTHOR/