Improving Lane Change Safety with Augmented Reality Signal-Integrated Camera Monitor Systems

Using a virtual reality driving simulation, this study investigated how camera monitor system (CMS) placement and an augmented reality (AR) lane-change warning influence driving performance, subjective evaluations, and workload during time-critical lane changes. Across placements, AR signals significantly improved objective performance and subjective ratings, indicating safety and user-experience gains from integrating AR with CMS. CMS position also mattered: a stitched display at the dashboard center yielded the best visual efficiency, whereas monitors adjacent to the steering wheel received the most favorable subjective evaluations. These divergent outcomes suggest that high performance can still be rated poorly when spatial compatibility is suboptimal. These findings underscore consistent gains in performance and subjective ratings when AR signals are integrated across varied CMS placements, and identified the steering wheel (SW) layout as the most balanced solution for future CMS design, as it demonstrates driving performance comparable to other configurations while maximizing subjective ratings.