Effects of full windshield head-up display on visual attention allocation

This study explores the impact of full windshield head-up display (FHUD) cues on the visual attention allocation of drivers under different scenarios. Forty-eight participants with driving experience were randomly divided into two groups and asked to drive on a preset route in various virtual driving scenarios created in advance. The full windshield highlights situational cues related to the driving task, such as lane lines, safe vehicle distance warnings, navigation guidance and pedestrian cues. Regarding the perception of situational cues, the number of fixations and mean fixation duration with FHUD were lower than those without FHUD. Furthermore, the dwell time percentage of the driver's forward view with FHUD was larger than that without FHUD, and the dwell time percentage on both sides was smaller than that without FHUD. In conclusion, FHUD may help drivers more effectively perceive cues and improve drivers' visual attention allocation. Practitioner summary: FHUD may affect drivers' attention while driving. We examined the effect of FHUD on number of fixations, fixation duration and dwell time percentage in the area of interest under different weather scenarios. Experimental results indicated that FHUD could improve drivers' visual attention allocation and help drivers more effectively perceive cues. Abbreviations: FHUD: full windshield head-up display; HUD: head-up display; HDD: head-down display; AOI: area of interests; AR: augmented reality.