Highway to Happiness: Christians Drive Home Courteous Motoring

Howard Dapper prays when he starts down Interstate 40 toward Research Triangle Park. He also offers prayers when he sees an aggressive driver.

"If I see somebody that's not being a courteous driver, I try to offer a short prayer that they'll calm down and make sure that they get there safely," Dapper said.

Howard is not cruising on a one-man crusade. He is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Drivers, a group from Walls, Mississippi whose members pledge to drive carefully -- and prayerfully.

In return for a $15 donation, fellowship members receive dashboard emblems, driver's prayer cards and even a brass-and-nickel-plated key ring.

So, how does it work in practice?

"I know there are a lot of people trying to get on the highway," Dapper said. "So, I try to move over a lane and leave the outside lane available for them to get on easier."

People praying for themselves and other drivers may sound a little strange to some people, but theNorth Carolina Highway Patrolloves the idea.

"The Highway Patrol would be an avid supporter of that. Anything the public can do to assist the Highway Patrol with targeting the aggressive driver, by all means, we'd be all for that," said Capt. R.L. Hayes of the Highway Patrol.

Dorothy Huegel is another Triangle driver and member of the Fellowship of Christian Drivers.

"[With] some of the drivers, it can only be 'God bless them, Lord,' because the way they drive, they need all the help they can get," Huegel said.

The fellowship has a relatively small membership, but Huegel says the group has a big goal.

"If [drivers] have a problem or aggressions or anything else that they have to sort out, don't do it behind the wheel of a car," she said.

Many Christians say they take life one day at a time. The Christian drivers say they are trying to improve the roads one driver at a time.

For more information or to join the ranks of the Fellowship of Christian Drivers, call662-342-3163. What did you think of this story?Send us your feedback.