The key to a safe car trip is wearing a cross and asking for God’s blessing before setting off, traffic police in the southern Krasnodar region advised on Friday.
“Ten Commandments for drivers,” which appeared on the police’s website, were compiled with the help of a local Orthodox priest identified only as Father Andrei. Despite their religious slant, they are recommended for all motorists.
About half of all “Commandments” on the list are strictly practical, advising against speeding or blocking other vehicles on the road, as well as urging drivers to thank fellow motorists for polite behavior.
However, the list also urges prayers for the souls of aggressive or rude drivers instead of curses, thanks to God after safely concluding a trip and spending traffic jams in prayer and not idle chitchat.
Similar advice was earlier released separately by traffic police of Siberian Tomsk region and the republic of Khakassia. Both instructions came complete with guidelines on which religious icons to place on the dashboard and where to have your vehicle blessed.
A small poll held in the streets of Moscow last year by Esquire Russia magazine showed that out of 14 drivers, 14 kept an icon on the dashboard for road safety and none used seatbelts.
