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[ARTICLE · art-130991] src=arxiv.org ↗ pub= topic=autonomous-vehicles verified=true sentiment=· neutral

Driver Behavior Estimation at Signalized Intersections Using a Physics-Constrained Decision-Conditioned Autoregressive Transformer

A two-stage modeling framework combining a binary maneuver-decision predictor with a decision-conditioned autoregressive Transformer achieved 0.49 m/s² acceleration MAE and 0.62 m distance MAE in predicting driver behavior at signalized intersections, according to a paper posted to arXiv (2609.16058v1). The authors collected 449 real-world approach runs using RTK-corrected GNSS with centimeter-level accuracy, plus driver heart rate and multi-level comfort ratings, and identified required deceleration as the dominant single predictor of the stop-go decision. Heteroscedastic Gaussian modeling of peak deceleration yielded five empirical comfort ranges, and the framework also estimates a driver's future stopping-comfort level from a single yellow-onset snapshot; the dataset and source code are publicly available.

by read1 min views1 publishedSep 16, 2026

arXiv:2609.16058v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Red-light violations and harsh braking at signalized intersections are major contributors to traffic accidents. This paper analyzes and predicts human driver decision-making and longitudinal trajectory behavior during traffic light signal transitions. We collected a diverse real-world dataset comprising 449 approach runs under varying speed and distance conditions. Vehicle motion was recorded using RTK-corrected GNSS with centimeter-level accuracy, and driver heart rate and multi-level comfort ratings were monitored. Spatial and temporal calibration ensured precise alignment between vehicle state and signal timing. Statistical analysis identifies required deceleration as the dominant single predictor of the stop-go decision, and heteroscedastic Gaussian modeling of peak deceleration reveals five empirical comfort ranges derived from human stopping behavior. Based on this insight, we propose a two-stage modeling framework. Stage 1 predicts the binary maneuver decision, and Stage 2 generates the longitudinal acceleration trajectory using a decision-conditioned autoregressive Transformer with physics constraints, including target-state conditioning and jerk limits. The proposed architecture outperforms baseline methods and achieves 0.49m/s^2 acceleration MAE and 0.62m distance MAE. It also estimates the future stopping-comfort level of the human driver from a single yellow-onset snapshot. Qualitative results demonstrate realistic human-like braking behavior. The dataset and source code are publicly available.

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