| Join now Advertise with us Partners Contact | Login |
| Home | | | Forum | | | News | | | Bikers | | | Cars | | | 4WD | | | Vans | | | Trucks | | | Caravans | | | Motoring Inventions | | | What's On | | | UScreen |
| Adverts | | | Useful Links | | | Speed Camera Locations | | | Name to Shame: Garages / Roads |
| Welcome to the British Motorist Association. Join us, have your say and make a difference. Benefit from discounted motoring services |
Vatican Issues Ten Commandments for Drivers
26 Jun 2007
The Vatican has issued a set of "10 commandments" for motorists to promote safer driving.
The "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" call on drivers to respect speed limits, refrain from drinking before driving and avoid cursing.
Roman Catholics are also urged to make the sign of the cross before setting off on a journey.
This is said to be the first time the Vatican has specifically dealt with the growing worldwide problem of road rage.
The 36-page document was put together by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People.
We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads
Cardinal Renato Martino
"Thou shalt not drive and drink", "thou shalt not make rude gestures behind the steering wheel" and "help accident victims" are among the 10 recommendations for motorists.
The document also warns that driving can bring out "primitive" behaviour in motorists, including "cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility".
It says that automobiles can be "an occasion of sin" - particularly when they are used for dangerous overtaking or for prostitution.
Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the Vatican's council, said it was important to address the issue because driving had become a big part of contemporary life.
"We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads," he said.
"That's a sad reality, and at the same time a great challenge for society and the Church."
There is not much speeding going on in the Vatican City itself,
a 30km/h (19 mph) speed limit has been enforced for years in the tiny state.
The last recorded accident there was a year-and-a-half ago.
Here are the "Drivers' Ten Commandments" as listed by the Vatican's Office for Mirgrants and Itinerant People:
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 neighbour 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.
The "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" call on drivers to respect speed limits, refrain from drinking before driving and avoid cursing.
Roman Catholics are also urged to make the sign of the cross before setting off on a journey.
This is said to be the first time the Vatican has specifically dealt with the growing worldwide problem of road rage.
The 36-page document was put together by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People.
We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads
Cardinal Renato Martino
"Thou shalt not drive and drink", "thou shalt not make rude gestures behind the steering wheel" and "help accident victims" are among the 10 recommendations for motorists.
The document also warns that driving can bring out "primitive" behaviour in motorists, including "cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility".
It says that automobiles can be "an occasion of sin" - particularly when they are used for dangerous overtaking or for prostitution.
Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the Vatican's council, said it was important to address the issue because driving had become a big part of contemporary life.
"We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads," he said.
"That's a sad reality, and at the same time a great challenge for society and the Church."
There is not much speeding going on in the Vatican City itself,
a 30km/h (19 mph) speed limit has been enforced for years in the tiny state.
The last recorded accident there was a year-and-a-half ago.
Here are the "Drivers' Ten Commandments" as listed by the Vatican's Office for Mirgrants and Itinerant People:
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 neighbour 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.
Print
Return