Directional stimuli are applied to a vehicle operator to enhance situational awareness. Characteristics within a vehicle's external environment may be assessed to determine whether they present at least a threshold safety risk. If so, a type and/or intensity of a directional stimulus to apply to the vehicle operator is determined. In addition, one or more output devices is selected to apply the directional stimulus. The selected output devices may, upon activation, apply the directional stimulus from a same direction as the underlying directionality, in relation to the vehicle, of a potential safety hazard present in the vehicle's external environment. In this manner, the applied stimulus elicits an immediate rise in the vehicle operator's situational awareness, and also immediately informs her—based on the direction from which the stimulus is applied/received—of the directionality of the potential safety hazard within the vehicle's external environment.