Ten Commandments for Drivers

10 Commandments for Drivers

The Vatican issued a 10 commandments for motorists warning drivers against the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or even simple rudeness.

The unusual document also warned that automobiles can be “an occasion of sin,” particularly when used to make a dangerous passing maneuver or when used by prostitutes and their clients.

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 has become such a big part of contemporary life.

He cited World Health Organization statistics that said an estimated 1.2 million people are killed in road crashes each year and up to 50 million are injured.

The document, “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road,” extols the benefits of driving, but it laments a host of ills associated with automobiles, including drivers using their cars to show off and the easy opportunity to dominate others” by speeding.

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.

The Vatican’s 10 commandments for driver:

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.