Road safety and the emotional seesaw

The article concerns the phenomenon of the emotional seesaw that occurs after the sudden withdrawal of sources of emotion. This change is accompanied by so-called “cognitive fog,” which refers to a state in which a person does not sufficiently analyze the information they receive, acting somewhat automatically. The article explains this phenomenon, its causes, mechanisms, and effects, and analyzes it from the perspective of a driver who, in such a situation, may commit so-called “stupid mistakes” that could threaten their safety on the road.THE EMOTIONAL SEESAW AND THE ROAD SAFETY
The article deals with the phenomenon of emotional seesaw which occurs after a sudden withdrawal of the source of emotion . This shift is accompanied by a “cognitive haze” which means a state in which a man fails to analize the incoming information, thus acting automatically. The article analyzes the problem from the viewpoint of the driver who in such a situation is liable to committing “stupid mistakes” that could jeopardize his safety on the road.
Road safety is an extremely important topic that is usually analyzed from various perspectives. In this article, I would like to focus on a situation known to drivers from their own experience, where, just after avoiding a dangerous situation—for example, swerving to avoid a child who suddenly ran onto the road after a ball—they happen to make “stupid” mistakes leading to more or less dangerous situations. Automobil ADAC, the largest drivers’ club in Europe, keeps accident statistics and analyzes how they occurred. It turns out that most accidents happen not when a driver encounters a particularly difficult moment on the road, but immediately after it.
A driver may manage to avoid a collision with a reckless driver overtaking “on the third” and then crash into a car driving calmly in front of them. A difficult situation mobilizes them, but a lucky escape from trouble deprives them of vigilance a moment later [1]. Are these errors related to the fact of the stress experienced just a moment before? To answer this question, one should start by explaining the issue known as emotion programs.
As D. notes (…)

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