Hit the Brakes!: Augmented Reality Head-up Display Impact on Driver Responses to Unexpected Events

Abstract

In this study, we provide a first look at driver responses when using augmented reality (AR) head-up displays (HUDs) during an unexpected and potentially dangerous event. Twenty participants followed a lead car in a driving simulator while completing no task or distracting secondary tasks on AR HUDs in three different vertical positions or head-down displays (HDDs). After a series of uneventful drives, the lead car unexpectedly braked while participants completed a distractor task, requiring them to respond quickly to avoid a collision. We qualitatively analyzed participants’ glance behavior, crash avoidance, and self-reported experience. We found that participants using HDDs all frequently glanced back toward the roadway and lead vehicle while those using AR HUDs were inconsistent. Our results suggest that more research must be done to fully understand AR HUDs’ impact on drivers during surprise events but display location may impact behavior.