1. A method for operating an adaptive cruise control system of a host vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: receiving data measured from a plurality of sensors, wherein the measured data relates to one or more target vehicles in the host vehicle's field of view; generating a following score for each of the one or more target vehicles based on the measured data, wherein the following score represents the driving behavior of a particular target vehicle and indicates a desirability of the host vehicle to follow that target vehicle in a host vehicle equipped with an adaptive cruise control system; and controlling a host vehicle response based on the following score.