A higher cognitive-psychological and neurophysiological function that allows road users (drivers and pedestrians) to selectively and purposefully organize their mental resources to respond to specific stimuli in a complex traffic environment, filtering out secondary distractions and distributing attention among related tasks according to the demands of the situation. This attention is the cornerstone of intelligent behavior on the road, as it is the gateway that determines the quality of information entering the cognitive system on which evaluation, forecasting, and decision-making processes are based. Models of attention in traffic:
1) Selective attention is the concentration of mental resources on a certain stimulus (for example, the speed of a slow-moving car in front) against the background of intense sensory noise.
2) Distributed attention – the ability to perform several tasks at the same time (for example, adjusting speed while simultaneously watching mirrors and following pedestrians).
3) Sustained attention – maintaining a constant level of concentration for a long time, which is important for long trips and driving on highways.
4) Switching attention – the ability to quickly switch attention from one stimulus to another when the situation changes (for example, the transition from following a traffic light to following a car approaching from behind).