The effects of a simulated head-up display speedometer on perceptual task performance

This study compared the effects of simulated head-up display (HUD) and dashboard-mounted digital speedometers on key perceptual driving tasks in a simulated driving environment. Subjects were 20 male and female volunteers ranging in age from 19 to 51 years. A videotape, taken from the driver's perspective, of a car traveling along a memorized route served as the test scene. While viewing the test scene subjects performed tasks related to navigation, speed monitoring, and salient cue detection. The simulated HUD speedometer produced generally superior performance on the experimental tasks; most important, it enabled subjects to respond significantly more quickly to the salient cues. Implications for the effects of HUDs on automobile safety are discussed.