  We deal with the problem of deriving the microscopic equations governing the
individual car motion based on the assumptions about the strategy of driver
behavior. We suppose the driver behavior to be a result of a certain compromise
between the will to move at a speed that is comfortable for him under the
surrounding external conditions, comprising the physical state of the road, the
weather conditions, etc., and the necessity to keep a safe headway distance
between the cars in front of him. Such a strategy implies that a driver can
compare the possible ways of his further motion and so choose the best one. To
describe the driver preferences we introduce the priority functional whose
extremals specify the driver choice. For simplicity we consider a single-lane
road. In this case solving the corresponding equations for the extremals we
find the relationship between the current acceleration, velocity and position
of the car. As a special case we get a certain generalization of the optimal
velocity model similar to the "intelligent driver model" proposed by Treiber
and Helbing.
