Improving Pedestrian Safety with Head-Up Display Warning in a Connected Environment

In this paper, the potential of using a head-up display (HUD) in the connected environment to improve a vehicle's running comfort and pedestrian safety is tested, by providing warning information to drivers in advance. To achieve this objective, driving simulation technology is used to construct the connected environment and develop the HUD, and the effectiveness of the system is then tested. Specifically, thirty-four participants were recruited to conduct driving simulation experiments in six scenarios: three warning display types (Baseline/Head-down display/Head-up display) combined with two weather conditions (clear weather/foggy weather). The effects of the three different warning display types on braking risk-avoidance strategy were studied by comparing the drivers' performance during the perception and decision stage (position of accelerator-pedal release, position of first braking), the risk-avoidance manipulation stage (maximum deceleration, braking distance) and the risk-avoidance result stage (minimum collision distance, position of minimum speed). The influences of weather conditions and driver attributes were also considered. When the HUD warnings were activated, drivers started to decelerate further away from pedestrians, with a more stable and moderate deceleration process and a greater safety margin between the vehicle and the pedestrians. Using HUD warnings in foggy conditions improved drivers' perception and decision abilities, this study confirmed the great benefits that HUD warnings in the connected environment can bring to traffic safety, especially under risky situations and inclement weathers. The research results provide a reference for the more humanized and rationalized optimization design of these warning systems.