The Back Ring Light Element (BRLE) – Where User Experience Meets Safety

Ambient light is becoming more and more a common feature in the cars of not only the premium, but also the middle-class market. From the first beginnings of illuminating door handles and door compartments, ambient illumination is proceeding to become a design feature ubiquitous within a car’s interior. The Back Ring Light Element (BRLE) incorporates this trend for the steering wheel. Apart from mitigating the distraction potential of these design features, the upper steering wheel rim is usually recommended through various studies as a perfect warning location for forward-collision warnings or takeover requests; but if this is a valid use case for an ambient lighting technology remains unclear. Therefore, a study in a static driving simulator was conducted. The results of this study seem to be promising in terms of using multiple use cases within the same feature, the BRLE with ambient lighting technology in the steering wheel.