Can a Helmet-mounted Display Make Motorcycling Safer?

In this paper we investigated whether a helmet-mounted display for motorcyclists can provide similar benefits as the established in-car version: Head-up displays inform the driver efficiently and increase driving safety. In regard of their high safety risks, such a technology seems overdue for motorcyclists. Only recently, several crowdfunding projects raised substantial funding, however, none of them has led to commercial products yet. We developed an easy-to-reproduce and low-cost helmet-mounted display prototype and compared it with a conventional display setup. The helmet-mounted display was rated more attractive and induced a lower workload. Motorcyclists who generally exceeded the speed limit also rode significantly slower when using the head-mounted display. We argue that an intelligent application that adapts to the rider's behavior and preferences is the safest solution. We encourage other researchers to replicate our setup and to further investigate the impact of HUDs on the motorcyclists' behavior and road safety.