We should pray for all motorists this season

As another year passes by, a lot of people will be making their New Year resolutions.

They are those who will plan  to quit drinking or smoking or even chewing cud like a herbivore.

Then there will be a category of men that will hope to kick the bad habit of scratching their private parts.

As for the motorists, many of them will try to make amends on how they treat their cars.

This has to be a prayer item this Sunday.

Truth be told, going by the number of vehicles you will find stalled on the road during a long trip, it is an open secret that few motorists give their cars the attention they need.

Your car needs the same attention as your memsahib if not more.

On a recent road trip from Nanyuki, I counted up to 15 cars that had stalled by the road side. It is my hope that in the New Year, these motorists will not wait until the poor jalopy cannot take it anymore.

My grandmother used to say that as long as you are milking the cow, it would be prudent to feed it well. It ought to be the same for the cars.

Another category of motorists that I shall be praying for during New Year mass for their transformation are the nincompoops who do not dim their headlights as they approach other vehicles at night.

On countless occasions, I have had to curse under muted breath when I face oncoming traffic with the ever inquisitive five year old daughter.

Any use of the curse words in her presence and they will make prime time conversation when hosting friends or even my mother in law!

As for the motorcyclists, there is nothing short of eternal redemption that can take away their sins, on the road.

These fellows grew up riding bicycles and upon acquiring a motorcycles, they think that they have a very fast car. They criss-cross and try to squeeze in every available inch on the road and it is the duty of the motorist to worry about the scratches on the cars.

Many of long distance truck drivers are ordinarily polite, they will not harass you on the road unless they are running late.

However, the same cannot be said of the drivers that drive construction lorries. They will kill you and not even notice it. To make matters worse, they usually load their lorries to the brim and when they hit the smallest pot hole, the boulders come crashing on your wind screen.

They do not make use of the indicators; they just swing into the lane. I tell you these drivers will kill you faster than a psychopath.

As for the mannerless Probox drivers, we will continue to beseech your maker to touch your heart so that you can change your driving habits.

I refuse to believe that the maddening behaviour of Probox drivers is a case of spectacular coincidences.

They do not just all wake up in the morning and decide to annoy the hell out of everyone else, do they?

During December, many motorists have suffered under the hands of mischievous mechanics who convince them that they have fixed the car and even attempt to give a three-year warranty when they have done very little on the car.

They then proceed to charge you an arm and a leg for ostensibly full service on your car.

But as soon as the car is ten kilometres from your house, it grinds to a halt.

You notice I make no mention of the matatu drivers here — me thinks those are beyond redemption.

TWITTER: @tonyngare