Ioannis Paschalidis, “Correlation between fatigue and driver behavior in urban and highway environments using simulator”, Diploma Thesis, NTUA, School of Civil Engineering, Athens, July 2024.

The scope of this Diploma Thesis is to investigate the effect of fatigue on driving behavior in urban and highway environments, under both high and low traffic conditions. To achieve this goal, an experimental procedure was conducted using a driving simulator, which collected driving data from 35 participants. In addition, a questionnaire survey was used to determine the participants’ personal characteristics. The participants drove each scenario twice, once while rested and once while fatigued after having had minimal or no sleep. The results were analyzed using statistical analysis, specifically by creating statistical models using linear regression. The mathematical models focus on the average speed developed by the drivers, their average reaction time, the distance they maintained from the lead vehicle, and their longitudinal acceleration. The main conclusions are that driving while fatigued increases drivers’ average speed and reaction time, decreases their distance from lead vehicles, and decreases their acceleration. Finally, milder symptoms of fatigue while driving are linked to shorter distances from the leading vehicle, compared to more severe symptoms, while also inducing an increase in acceleration.