BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers

Subject: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Wesley S
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 02:30 PM

As a followup to the "How Fast Do You Drive?" thread - here's a story that I just saw on CNN. Feel free to add your own "Commandments" if they've left anything out.

Vatican issues 10 Commandments for drivers

POSTED: 11:36 a.m. EDT, June 19, 2007

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Got road rage? The Vatican on Tuesday issued a set of "Ten Commandments" for drivers, telling motorists to be charitable to others on the highways, to refrain from drinking and driving, and to pray you make it before you even buckle up.
An unusual document from the Vatican's office for migrants and itinerant people also warned that automobiles can be "an occasion of sin" -- particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution.
It warned about the effects of road rage, saying driving can bring out "primitive" behavior in motorists, including "impoliteness, rude gestures, cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility or deliberate infringement of the highway code."
It urged motorists to obey traffic regulations, drive with a moral sense, and to pray when behind the wheel.
Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, told a news conference that the Vatican felt it necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life.
He noted that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus -- and that his office is tasked with dealing with all "itinerant" people -- from refugees to prostitutes, truck drivers to the homeless.
"We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads," Martino said. "That's a sad reality, and at the same time, a great challenge for society and the church."
The document, "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road," extols the benefits of driving -- family outings, getting the sick to the hospital, allowing people to see other cultures.
But it laments a host of ills associated with automobiles: Drivers use their cars to show off; driving "provides an easy opportunity to dominate others" by speeding; drivers can kill themselves and others if they don't get their cars regular tuneups, if they drink, use drugs or fall asleep at the wheel.
It also pointed the finger at traffic problems particular to Rome, including "minicars" that teens can drive without full driving licenses, and "the reckless use of motorbikes and motorcycles."
It called for drivers to obey speed limits and to exercise a host of Christian virtues: charity to fellow drivers, prudence on the roads, hope of arriving safely and justice in the event of crashes.
And it suggested prayer might come in handy -- performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the Rosary along the way. The Rosary was particularly well suited to recitation by all in the car since its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."
The document is intended for bishops conferences around the world, and as such offered recommendations for their pastoral workers, including setting up chapels along motorways and having "periodic celebration of liturgies at major road hubs, motorway restaurants and lorry parks."
'Drivers' Ten Commandments'
The "Drivers' Ten Commandments," as listed by the document, are:
1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 03:46 PM

That all seems pretty sensible.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:02 PM

And this coming from the land that has the most aggressive drivers I've ever seen..... no wonder they need Celestial guidance!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Bert
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:15 PM

OK. Here's mine.

1. Give yourself plenty of room.
2. Make up your mind that TODAY you will not have an accident.
3. Other guys make mistakes too. Cut them some slack.
4. Don't get upset about that jerk, he's on his way to the body shop (sooner or later).
5. You can't keep taking risks and getting away with it.
6. Don't sweat the cheeky drivers, at least you know what they are doing.
7. Watch the slow ones and the ditherers very carefully.
8. Don't run lights and stop signs.
9. When you stop at the lights don't block driveways.
10. When you do make a mistake, a friendly wave works wonders.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:23 PM

Missed out perhaps the most important one - "Never drive so close to the car in front that if it hits a concrete block in the road you won't be able to stop in time". (I suppose that's implied in the Vatican's "10. Feel responsible toward others." But spelling it out is not a bad idea.)

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Grab
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:10 PM

The two essential commandments of driving...

1: Shit happens.
2: Try to avoid it happening to you.

Everything else is details.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Peace
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:13 PM

For every 100 miles of highway there's 200 miles of ditch.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Bert
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:32 PM

Nice one Peace!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Peace
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:33 PM

Wish it was mine. I heard it somewhere while on a call. Stuck with me ever since.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: artbrooks
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:34 PM

(11) the turn signal lever is not there as a place to hang your rosary.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: bobad
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:41 PM

You're right art, that's what the rear view mirror is for.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: GUEST,MarkS
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 11:05 PM

Half a peace sign is NOT a friendly wave.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 04:26 AM

Hazard warning lights are not a license to park anydamnwhere.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 05:13 AM

They are for BMW tractor drivers. DON'T pray when you are driving. You need all your concentration for the road, and for second guessing the other users. Round that corner you can't see round, or in that bit of dead ground ahead, there could be a tanker full of highly flammable fuel, a kid on a bike, a traffic cop, a hole in the ground, a circus parade.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 05:51 AM

The sort that drive 4X4 Intimidators in urban areas are not the sort that would pray anyway... they already think they ARE God.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: EBarnacle
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 09:00 AM

A variation on the same rules I teach my boating students:
Assume the other guy is less skilled than you and give plenty of room to the other guy.
If someone cuts in, assume they feel the need to go faster than you and drop back to give them room. Courtesy counts.
My personal mantra: My gonads are between my thighs, not my ears. Let the other driver be the idiot.
Mass counts. Keep out of the way of the pros.
Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. If they do, it gets expensive fast.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Peace
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 02:08 PM

"Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time."

And I really wish they'd stop trying.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Chip2447
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 11:33 PM

if you don't like the way I drive, get off of the sidewalks...

Chip

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 11:42 PM

Did I miss "don't drink and drive" somewhere in the original ten? Seems that would be number one on anyone's list.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: JennyO
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 11:54 PM

Dunno if it's just an Oz thing, but around these parts they say:

"Don't drink Drive - it's a laundry detergent!"

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: JennieG
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 03:40 AM

When someone cuts me off I have been known to pray - "oh Jesus Christ" says I - does that count?

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 07:58 AM

Italian drivers have something to share about safe driving

LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Wesley S
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 09:43 AM

Kat - I think that "don't drink and drive" is covered by number six:

"6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so."

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 10:26 AM

5. Cars shall not be ... an occasion of sin.

I strongly disagree with this commandement. My parents would not have let us alone and undisturbed in a room and it was raining cats and dogs outside of the car.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 02:11 PM

Mental Disorders in America (from NIMH.NIH.org)

"Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year."

Math...on any crowded highway, you are surrounded by people who 'may' have problems that affect their driving. ASSUME they all do.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Jun 07 - 04:08 PM

As for the advice about praying, "now and at the hour of our death" is actually rather a salutary phrase to keep in mind when driving..

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Wolfgang
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 10:11 AM

The praying part reminds me of a pilot who asked all passengers to pray with him before the start for a safe return. It made me more much nervous than the usual no-praying "fasten your seatbelts" routine.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 12:08 PM

Being a bit nervous is not a bad idea when you're driving. Not twitchy nervous, but aware that you are in a potentially fatal situation.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: GUEST,wordy
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 12:36 PM

Keep left at all times except when overtaking. (In the UK, that is)
Check out middlelanemorons.com

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: gnu
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 01:59 PM

Put on your turn signal light BEFORE you take you foot off the gas pedal.

It's a SIGNAL light. It means yor are GOING to turn. It does NO good when you are actually turning. At that point, you are simply wasting the life of the signal light.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 03:11 PM

Found Here After being reminded of it by this thread.
There is a thread elsewhere that explains the singing of psalms to Anglican chant!

THE HIGHWAY CODE
(Sung in the form of an Anglican chant)

The Mastersingers - 1966


The Highway Code part one, the road user on foot, walking alone
Where there is a pavement or adequate footpath, use it
On a pavement or footpath
Do not walk next to the kerb with your back to the traffic
Do not step into the road without first looking
Where there is no adequate footpath
Walk on the right of the road to face oncoming traffic
Do not loiter in the roadway or walk along cycle tracks
A marching body on the road should keep on the left-hand side
It should have look-outs at suitable distances at the front and rear
And at night they should carry lights
White at the front of the column and red at the rear

Always use subways, footbridges, pedestrian crossings or central
refuges when provided
Otherwise, cross where you have a clear view of the road both ways
Take extra care if your view is limited
By stationary vehicles or other obstruc-cions
Before you cross, stop at the kerb
Look right, look left, and right again
Do not cross until the road is clear
Then cross at right-angles, keeping a careful lookout all the time

When you have stepped off the kerb onto a Zebra Crossing
Which must have black and white stripes, studs and ligh-ted beacons
You have the right-of-way
But allow approaching vehicles ample time to give way
Especially if the road is wet or icy
When crossing the road at junctions
Lookout for vehicles turning the corner
Do not cross the road, either at a Zebra Crossing or elsewhere
Against a signal to stop by a Police Officer controlling traffic

Do not get on or off a bus or tram while it is moving
Or when it is not at a recogni-zed stopping place
Do not step out suddenly from behind a stationary or slowly moving
bus or tram
If you want to get on one at a request stop
Give a clear signal for it to stop
And do not step into the road until it has stop-ped

Prepare-red by the Ministry Of Transport And Civil Avia-cion
And the Central Office Of Informa-cion



Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 22 Jun 07 - 06:10 PM

Thou shalt not smoke and drive......

(Oops. sorry, that's another thread, I'll get my coat....)

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: GUEST,banjoman
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 06:45 AM

Heard this one many years ago & remembered these bits:

Rules for safer driving:
1. Cars with engines of less than 2 litres are a danger on the road and should not be driven.

2. Avoid using the brakes other than at the end of your journey - otherwise they only slow you down
3. Sounding the horn continuosly enables the car to be driven through small gaps
4. Alcohol taken before driving enables the car to be driven through even smaller gaps.
5. Dispense with rear view mirrors - you are interested in where you are going not where you have been
6 The correct position for the right foot (UK) is flat on the floor with the accelerator pedal underneath (known as lead footing)

Happy and safe driving

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 06:59 AM

It always amuses me the way the Catholic Church (and other churches in similar situations) continues to lecture others about how to behave, after being exposed for years of fostering child abuse by cover-ups and by moving abusing priests to new parishes, orphanages, etc.

Beam in your own eye, mate.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 02:42 PM

In fact of we were really good drivers we would hardly ever need to use the brake, except for a touch as we halted - we'd read the road so well we'd anticipate when we would had to slow down and do so by just taking our foot off the throttle.

Subject: RE: BS: Ten Commandments for Drivers
From: Don Firth
Date: 23 Jun 07 - 04:12 PM

Be nice to bicyclists (even the suicidal idiots), but nail skate-boarders every chance you get!

Don Firth