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Automotive HUDs: the overlooked safety issues
1Cognitive Systems and Human Factors Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN 37831-6360, USA.
Human Factors
|June 1, 1997
Summary
Head-up displays (HUDs) in cars may pose greater safety risks than in aircraft. Research suggests potential issues with focal distance and visual attention that require further investigation for automotive applications.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Automotive Safety Technology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Tactical aviation technology is increasingly being integrated into automobiles, leading to new information display requirements.
- Head-up displays (HUDs) are a likely solution for these requirements, but assumptions about their safety in automotive use are questionable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically review the safety implications of automotive head-up displays (HUDs).
- To examine the effects of HUD focal distance and visual attention on driver safety.
- To challenge the dismissal of HUD-related safety issues from aviation literature in the automotive context.
Main Methods:
- Critical review of existing aviation HUD literature.
- Analysis of research concerning HUD focal distance and its impact on perceiving external objects.
- Examination of the effects of HUD imagery on driver visual attention.
Main Results:
- Conclusions that HUD safety issues in aviation can be dismissed and benefits are certain are often based on limited or flawed evidence.
- HUD focal distance can significantly affect the perception of outside objects.
- HUD imagery can impact driver visual attention, a phenomenon known as cognitive capture.
Conclusions:
- The issues of focal distance and cognitive capture may have a more significant impact on automotive safety than previously recognized.
- Existing research supporting the benefits of automotive HUDs may neglect critical safety considerations.
- Further research is needed to understand and mitigate the potential risks associated with automotive HUDs.
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