Advanced Traveler Information Systems and Commercial Vehicle Operations Components of the Intelligent Transportation Systems: Head-up Displays and Driver Attention for Navagation Informantion

Gore, BF; Hooey, BL · 1998 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Highway Administration

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Summary

This study, conducted by the Battelle Human Factors Transportation Center for the Federal Highway Administration, investigates the safety and performance implications of using automotive Head-Up Displays (HUDs) for Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS). The research was motivated by concerns that HUD images, projected into the driver’s forward line of sight, might interfere with driving tasks, cause "cognitive capture" (where attention is drawn to the display at the exclusion of the roadway), or negatively impact vehicle control. While HUDs offer potential benefits such as reduced visual accommodation and eyes-off-road time, prior literature provided equivocal guidance, particularly regarding older drivers who face distinct visual and cognitive limitations. The specific objective was to determine how navigation aids (HUD versus Head-Down Display [HDD]) and driver age interact to influence driver behavior and safety. The experimental design utilized the Battelle High-Fidelity Driving Simulator, featuring a 1994 Saturn Sedan instrumented to collect performance data. Twenty-four subjects, comprising both younger and older drivers, participated in the study. Each subject drove three experimental scenarios (two urban, one rural) while adhering to speed limits and lane boundaries. Navigation information, including directional arrows and street names, was presented via a 4-inch color LCD. In the HDD condition, the display was fixed on the dashboard; in the HUD condition, it projected a virtual image approximately 35–38 inches from the driver’s eye position. Subjects were also required to respond rapidly to emergency incidents, such as a ball rolling into the road, a car crossing against a red light, or a lead car braking suddenly. Dependent variables included navigation errors, collision rates, braking response times, vehicle speed, lane position, and steering wheel angle. The results revealed no significant differences in navigation performance, response to unexpected events, or overall driving performance between the HUD and HDD conditions. While older drivers exhibited more navigation errors and slower braking response times compared to younger drivers, these differences were consistent with established age-related cognitive and manual control limitations and did not interact with the type of navigation aid. Crucially, the HUD was not associated with any performance decrements. There was no evidence that the HUD acted as a distraction or caused cognitive capture; drivers did not miss external events or exhibit poorer vehicle control when using the HUD compared to the HDD. The study concludes that automotive HUDs can be safely used to present simple route guidance information without compromising driving performance or safety. The findings alleviate concerns regarding cognitive capture and distraction, suggesting that HUDs do not negatively impact a driver’s ability to detect and respond to roadway hazards. These results support the integration of HUDs into ATIS and Commercial Vehicle Operations systems, providing empirical evidence that such technology conforms to human limitations and capabilities. The study contributes to the development of human factors design guidelines for Intelligent Transportation Systems, indicating that HUDs are a viable alternative to traditional head-down displays for navigation purposes.

Key finding

Head-up displays did not cause performance decrements or distraction compared to head-down displays, with no significant differences in navigation errors, collision rates, or driving control metrics between the two conditions.

Methodology

simulator

Sample size: 24

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• hud ar windshield
• useful field of view
• visual
• in vehicle displays
• external distraction
• situational awareness

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: design guidelines
• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: tool software