The Relationship between Driver Fatigue and Driver Distraction

Abstract

To date, there has been very little consideration in the literature of the relationship between driver distraction and driver fatigue. Comparatively little is known about the effects of each phenomenon in relation to each other and whether or not they interact. This chapter aims to draw together the available evidence on driver fatigue and discusses its relevance and likely implications for driver distraction. Specifically, the discussion proceeds on 2 levels: the first examines the nature of the relationship between the 2 phenomena and looks at the argument for fatigue being viewed as a type of internal distraction from driving, while the second looks at the influence of fatigue on the vulnerability of drivers to distractors and at the compatibility of the countermeasures being advanced for managing driver distraction and fatigue.