Global bifurcation investigation of an optimal velocity traffic model with driver reaction time.
We investigate an optimal velocity model which includes the reflex time of drivers. After an analytical study of the stability and local bifurcations of the steady-state solution, we apply numerical continuation techniques to investigate the global behavior of the system. Specifically, we find branches of oscillating solutions connecting Hopf bifurcation points, which may be super- or subcritical, depending on parameters. This analysis reveals several regions of multistability.