Evaluating the Effectiveness of Contact-Analog and Bounding Box Prototypes in Augmented Reality Head-Up Display Warning for Chinese Novice Drivers Under Various Collision Types and Traffic Density

Augmented Reality Head-Up Display (AR-HUD) is a promising solution to the current warning system distraction problem. However, how to effectively convey warnings through AR graphics is still unclear. This study examines the effectiveness of the contact-analog graphic compared to the bounding box graphic in various collision types and traffic densities. Forty-eight participants watched AR-augmented driving videos and were instructed to respond to critical events. Reaction time, response rate, and subjective evaluations were compared for rear-end and pedestrian collisions in different traffic densities under different warnings. Both bounding box and contact-analog warnings improved driving performance compared to the non-warning group. The contact-analog warning performed better for rear-end collisions, while the bounding box warning had a lower reaction time for pedestrian collisions, regardless of traffic density.