Night vision - Reduced driver distraction, improved safety and satisfaction

Abstract

Accidents in the dark in non-urban areas result in disproportionately high rates of pedestrians injuries (Hülsen 2003). This paper describes the methods and results of test drives with 39 test persons for the assessment of driver behavior in interacting with different Human-Machine-Interfaces (HMI) for Night Vision systems which inform drivers about the presence of pedestrians. Data of driver eye movements was analyzed to evaluate the different HMI designs of pedestrian alerts, in a passenger vehicle with Head-up-Display (HUD), regarding the ergonomic suitability and safety benefit. All systems were compared in field tests on public roads and on a test track. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.