Impact of Communication Device Installation Rate on Vehicle Behavior Stability in V2X-Based Freeway Merging Assistance Systems

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of merging assistance systems in reducing highway congestion. One of the key causes of congestion on highways is the inability of vehicles to merge smoothly. In recent years, research has advanced on merging assistance systems that utilize wireless communication technologies to enable real-time monitoring of traffic conditions and achieve more precise and adaptive control. However, previous studies have often assumed that all vehicles are equipped with communication devices and have not adequately addressed the impact of the varying installation rates of these devices on vehicle behavior. This paper investigates the influence of communication device installation rates on vehicle behavior during merging through simulations of merging assistance systems based on vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. Specifically, it focuses on typical highway merging scenarios and performs a statistical analysis of acceleration patterns in merging vehicles resulting from the implementation of merging assistance systems.