Sin Behind the Wheel

DRIVERS' 10 COMMANDMENTS
The Vatican's office for migrants and itinerants issued these commandments Tuesday, 6/19/2007:

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.

As if most people pay attention to the original 10 commandments (you know those rules that, according to the Bible, God himself handed down to Moses: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" and "Thou shalt honor thy mother and thy father"? Yeah, right!), now, the Vatican thinks people might become better drivers by issuing a church proclamation that defines the moral parameters for operating a motor vehicle! My favorite one is number 5. Ask millions of men around the world to give up their status-symbol cars and ask soccer Mom's to give up their gas-guzzling SUVs because their vehicles function as objects of power and domination that are quite capable of not only allowing, but encouraging the occasion of sin! That's going to happen. Especially here, in the bad driver capital of the world!

I must say, though, drivers who exemplify these driving traits would tend to be better drivers. I personally abide by all of these "commandments" fairly regularly, with the minor exception of number 5, especially when drinking has been involved, and numbers 7 and 8, but only because I don't really know anyone who has either been in a horrible, life-altering accident or caused one. If I did, I would; I swear!

And you? Are you a good moral driver?