Amy Freedman, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – We expect to encounter numerous wrecks in the rain and the snow, but on the unexpected beautiful day, we have a much more insidious enemy — one that Bob Marbourg coined, “The nice day syndrome.””
The syndrome occurs on a day exactly like Tuesday, when it reached well into the 60s, even though it was the last day of January. It can also strike in April, when we have those much longed-for first days of real spring weather. Whenever it occurs, “the nice day syndrome” throws us off guard and creates havoc which equals a terrible commute.
As drivers were looking out of their sunroofs — instead of their windshields — or perhaps driving much faster in the exhilaration of that spring-like feeling on Tuesday, we had numerous crashes across the area, as well as a terrible fatal crash on the Baltimore Washington Parkway.
Distracted driving is beginning to get the attention it should. Texting, talking on the cell phone, finding a song on the mp3 player, focusing on the GPS instead of the actual roadway are all huge impediments to driving safely. “The nice day syndrome” is something that we are probably not going to see safety warnings about. But it’s something that we are going to have to keep in mind as conscientious and careful drivers.
Remember, you can have the windows rolled down, the top down, etc., but you still have to be aware of the road and other drivers. Enjoying the day, but always keeping safety foremost in mind, could be the simplest of cures for “the nice day syndrome.”
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