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General Motors has recently introduced production automobiles which are capable of presenting information to the driver by way of head-up displays. Although there has been some research reported to compare driver performance with head-up relative to head-down displays in an automotive context, continuing research is warranted. The research reported here provides an on-the-road comparison of automobile drivers' behavior with a head-up versus head-down speedometer during daytime driving.

This paper summarizes the method and results of a study that evaluated driver comprehension and perceived appropriateness of six symbols for an in-vehicle crash avoidance system. The primary objective of the study was to select a symbol for implementation in subsequent test track and field studies aimed at examining an in-vehicle system which would warn drivers when they may be about to run a red light or stop sign. Two age groups were tested; an 18-49 year old group and an above 50 year old group. A symbol depicting a generic traffic light and stop sign had the highest overall comprehension and scored high on the appropriateness ranking part of the study. This symbol also has the production feasibility advantage of being the simplest intersection warning icon tested. Hence, this symbol was recommended for future test track and field testing for the stop sign/signal violation system under development.

Production vehicles are becoming increasingly equipped with driver assistance and active safety systems that warn the driver of potential crash threat situations. For such systems, it is important to understand how drivers perceive and respond to these warnings. An integral part of such systems is the manner in which auditory warnings are presented to drivers. This research measured the ability of drivers to effectively localize warning sound candidates, and developed an integrated approach for presenting these warnings to drivers in vehicles equipped with multiple driver assistance and active safety systems.

One of the noteworthy aspects of the introduction of the Night Vision System on the 2000 Cadillac DeVille was the use of multimedia (i.e., written and video) customer education materials. These materials were designed to allow drivers to properly understand the strengths and limitations of the feature, and allow them to take full advantage of the potential benefits of Night Vision technology. These materials were developed utilizing existing technical knowledge and important information gained from a focused study on user comprehension of customer education materials. The study was conducted to support and help ensure the successful introduction of the Night Vision feature. As of preparation of this paper, the Cadillac DeVille continues to include a Video Owner's Guide addressing Night Vision as part of the vehicle content.

The current research was aimed at investigating two frequently cited claims related to the reported “eyes-on-road” benefit of automotive Head-Up Displays (HUDs). Results provided strong support for the claim that automotive HUDs improve the driver's ability to see forward scene events during the time period immediately surrounding the accessing of displayed information, which suggests that HUDs should improve traffic safety. This HUD benefit was demonstrated with a wide range of critical targets, including pedestrians and bicyclists. In addition, results provided some support for the claim that automotive HUDs reduce the driver's re-focusing times from the outside world to the display.

This research compared driver detection performance with low-beam halogen headlamps supplemented by a General Motors production Night Vision system to low-beam halogen headlamps alone. This research was conducted with 18 participants between the ages of 40 and 70 years on a 3.2km (2-mile) section of closed road. Participants encountered seven scenarios, including crossing or standing pedestrians dressed in either white or black clothing. Additional scenarios included pedestrians in a curve and near an oncoming glare vehicle, as well a tire tread. Results indicated that the GM Night Vision system improved drivers' detection distances in nearly all pedestrian scenarios examined.

Forward collision warning (FCW) systems are intended to provide drivers with crash alerts to help them avoid or mitigate rear-end crashes. To facilitate successful deployment of FCW systems, the Ford-GM Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) developed preliminary minimum functional requirements for FCW systems implemented on light vehicles (passenger cars, light trucks, and vans). This paper summarizes one aspect of the CAMP results: minimum requirements and recommendations for when to present rear-end crash alerts to the driver. These requirements are valid over a set of kinematic conditions that are described, and assume successful tracking and identification of a legitimate crash threat. The results are based on extensive closed-course human factors testing that studied drivers' last-second braking preferences and capabilities. The paper reviews the human factors testing, modeling of results, and the computation of FCW crash alert timing requirements and recommendations.