Sir, - Why are motoring offences viewed by society in a totally different way to other forms of crime? "I was caught for speeding the other day" could be the subject of a drawing room joke, but "I'm up on a charge of paedophilia", for example, would be a stigma for life and good reason for treating such a person as anti-social. The following ten rules of the road are printed in a publication by the Christian Road Safety Association, and I offer them to all who desire to apply Christian ethics to their conduct while driving:
1. Begin with a prayer.
2. If you start late, arrive late.
3. Alcohol is for the radiator, not the operator.
4. If entry into the flow of traffic is facilitated by the courtesy of another driver, acknowledge in appreciation.
5. If you have inadvertently inconvenienced or endangered the safety of another vehicle, signal an apology.
6. Make it easy for aggressive drivers to get ahead of you - as far ahead as possible.
7. So drive that the sudden appearance of a patrol car is a welcome sight. Consider all other cars as unmarked patrol cars, and your car will stay unmarked.
8. Give plenty of space to taxis, and any cars marked with dents.
9. Never accelerate when another car wishes to enter your lane, but decelerate if advisable.
10. End every trip with a prayer of thanksgiving. - Yours, etc.,
Douglas McCowen
(Institute of Advanced Motorists,
Christian Road Safety Association),
24 Templeville Road,
Dublin.