Influence of driver characteristics on emissions and fuel consumption

Fuel consumption and atmospheric pollution emissions of vehicles depend on driving conditions, the characteristics of the driver and the car. The influence of driving style on the environmental aspects of a car journey has been investigated. Driver characteristics were determined by a Driver Behaviour Questionnaire and observed acceleration and deceleration behaviour. That results in four types of drivers with similar characteristics within a type group. We measured 56 trajectories of 28 drivers using GPS devices. The measurements were done on a route of 8.4 km in an urban environment in Chengdu (PR China). From the trajectories, the emissions and fuel consumption were determined with the Comprehensive Modal Emissions Model. The results were related to the traffic control along the journey resulting in fuel consumption and emissions per stop and per second idling. There are significant differences in saturation flow, emissions and fuel consumption between different driver types. Cautious, novice drivers have the lowest emission and fuel consumption and give the lowest saturation flow and have the lowest cruise speed; experienced smooth driving drivers give a high saturation flow while keeping fuel consumption and emissions also low. Aggressive experienced drivers have a high saturation flow and fuel consumption / emissions. Therefore, microscopic traffic models that simulate emissions and fuel consumption should take the differences between driver types into account.