680News - Lisa Brandt

Three cheers for Pope Benedict for attempting to use his considerable influence to improve a situation that’s near and dear to 680News listeners: bad driving. The Pope has issued 10 Driving Commandments.

Our traffic reporters hear it all. Not only do people call to report traffic tips (which we truly appreciate!) a week doesn’t go by when somebody doesn’t do something dangerous or dumb that causes trouble for others on the road. As it’s often been said: “You can’t legislate common sense.”

But you can’t give up on what’s right, either, and the Pope is at least trying to remind people of the reasons why they’re in a car in the first place – to travel. He seems to be appealing to us to take a deep breath and stop acting as if we’re all in impenetrable tanks, and there’s nobody else to worry about on the road but us.

Here are the Pope’s Driving Commandments. Will they help improve things on the road? I hope so. Will they correct all of the bad driving that’s out there? Unfortunately not; that would take a miracle.

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.