Thou Shall Not Commit Road Rage

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

20 Jun 2007 08:30 AM

They are being called the Ten Commandments for drivers and they take their cue from the original set carved in stone. Yesterday, the Vatican issued a set of rules that warn motorists not to kill, not to drink and drive and... not to tailgate. I'm serious. And so is the intent of these new "Commandments."

The document's official name is: "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road." It was created by Catholic Cardinals who felt it necessary to "address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life." While it highlights the benefits of driving (spending time with family, taking the sick to the hospital, etc.), its main purpose is to address the ills associated with driving. Specifically, the fact that some drivers abuse their rights as motorists by using their cars to show off, speed, and drive drunk.

The document also includes several warnings, including one that states cars can be "an occasion of sin" -- particularly when used for dangerous passing. It also warns 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."

Personally, I applaud the Catholic Church for issuing the document. Studies show 1.2 million people die each year on the road. (That's a sad reality no matter how you slice it.) At the core of the document is a call to exercise simple virtues: charity to fellow drivers, forgiveness, and prudence. And as the document suggests it certainly doesn't hurt to say a little prayer (or an entire rosary) behind the wheel.

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.

Last night a guy on the news suggested adding an 11th Commandment: "Thou shall not talk on your cellphone while driving."

Amen to that!

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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