Head-Up vs. Head-Down Displays: Examining Traditional Methods of Display Assessment While Driving

Abstract

Technological advances in Head-Up Displays (HUDs) have renewed vehicle manufacturer interest. Recent research links time with eyes off of the road to increased chance of accidents, a problem that could be diminished when using HUDs. Before HUDs can be safely integrated, there must be proven methods of assessing these displays. NHTSA established guidelines for assessing in-vehicle tasks; however, these have not been examined with HUDs, differ from traditional Head-Down Displays (HDDs). This study followed most of the NHTSA guidelines for the Eye Glance Test for a visual text search task while tracking driving and secondary task performance measures. The HUD performed worse on the NHTSA eye glance test than the HDD did; however, the driving performance measures were superior when driving with the HUD. There were no significant differences in the secondary task performance between the two displays. Therefore, the NHTSA standard may not adequately assess HUDs in vehicles.