All That's Fit to Print

On Tuesday, the Vatican released what some call the 10 commandments for drivers. The Pope's top 10 driving hints are listed below.

You shall not kill. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so. Support the families of accident victims.

Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party. Feel responsible toward others.

The Vatican is right on the money with some of their commandments, but I have a few that are not so eloquently delivered. First, you shall wear your seatbelt. It doesn't really matter whether you think it is comfortable or necessary or not. You have a family and they love you. They prefer not to have you scraped up off a highway somewhere.

You shall put your children in the back seat and put on their seatbelts. The front seat is not an option, unless you aren't concerned about your child's wellbeing.

You shall not play your radio or other music making accessory at full volume. If your musical selection can be heard outside of your vehicle, it is too loud. You shall not leave your car engine running and or your music blaring while you are in a store. It is actually against the law to leave the engine running and it's just plain silly to leave the radio blasting, not to mention embarrassing if the music lyrics are obscene.

You shall not weave all over the road and not pay attention to your driving because you are talking on your cell phone. It is possible to be out of touch with another human being for hours at the time. It can actually be a very pleasant experience.

You shall remember the passing lane is for passing other vehicles, not for passing time. There shall be no toodling along at a slow speed in the lane meant for passing those toodling along at slow speeds.

You shall not leave your shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot. I realize this has nothing to do with actual driving, but drivers or their passengers are the ones who abandon shopping carts in perfectly good parking spaces. It is a lazy, rude thing to do.

I'm betting that as you read this, half of you have your own commandments to add. I can think of five more myself. Ah, but time is short and space shorter. Drive safely. Look out for others. Arrive alive. Toodles.