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Saturday, November 14, 2026

Ten Commandments for drivers, passengers, pedestrians and parents

Cars with frosted windows and protective covers. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Now that it's winter in England, Europe, and North America we need to take extra care. 

Allow time for these extra activities:

1 To go back into the house to get a warmer coat or hat! 

2 To clear ice off car windows. 

3 To warm up the car.

4 To clear windows of mist. 

Get familiar with the controls for fog lights, and demisting of front and rear windows. Show any passengers who may need to drive.

Check petrol. 

Buy a device for cutting seatbelts and breaking window glass. In an accident the electrics may go so you cannot free seatbelts, nor open windows and doors!

To drive slowly at night, because it starts getting darker earlier each day. Plus the clocks changed at the end of October in the UK.

I have made up ten commandments for drivers and passengers. Perhaps revise the highway code. Know these ten commandments for drivers and passengers. Or create your own.

If you are going to Christmas parties or organizing holiday events, ensure you have a supply of non-alcoholic drinks and designated drivers. 

For pedestrians, wear white at night. Even if you are a car driver or passenger, you may be crossing a road from where you parked to a restaurant, home, or other venue.

Ten Commandments For Drivers

1 Do up your own seat belt.

2 Do up the passengers' seat belts - do not drive until everybody is securely fastened.

3 Secure any children, in the back, in a seatbelt, in a car seat.

4 Ensure you have enough petrol (Americans say gas) so you do not run out on a motorway or far from home.

5 Have your destination in GPS on your phone or car satnav, and listen to instructions. 

6 Don't look at a map whilst driving.

7 Plan rest stops and do not drive when tired.

8 Remove all valuables when leaving a car in a public place. Especially jackets and bags. You know there are no valuables. The thief does not. On finding the jacket or bag is empty they might smash your window out of spite or bad tempter. If thieves smash your window to break in you will have glass everywhere and the vehicle will be undrivable. 

9 Do not hitch hike. 

10 Do not drive when traffic lights are red, even at night on empty roads. A car coming the other way may be speeding thinking it is the only car on the road.


Ten Commandments For Passengers

1 Do up your seatbelt - the life you save may be your own.

2 Do up your seatbelt in the back, to prevent yourself catapulting forward and injuring the person in front.

3 Do up the seatbelt of a child passenger. 

4 Check the road is clear of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians before opening a car door from inside.

5 Do not ride in a car with a drunken driver.

6 Do not ride with a driver who does not own the car.

7 Do not ride with a driver who is not inusred.

8 Do not ride with a driver who had only recently passed their test.

9 Do not distract the driver.

10 Tell the family where you are going and who you are with and what you are doing in the car. 

Let's make that lucky or unlucky 13. Good luck is obeying all 13. Bad luck is disobeying 1 to 13 of these. 

1 Do not try stunts. 

2 If you dare not tell the family, the police, a court of law, an insurance company, the local paper, you should not be doing it.

3 Nothing good happens after midnight.

4 If locked in a boot, push out the light cover and wave your hand to attract attention.

5 Before getting in a taxi, hire car or stranger's car, send a photo of the number plate and rear view or driver to a family group chat. Check the license photo in a hire car matches the driver.

6 Allow extra time for any journey so the driver can proceed at a safe speed even if you are delayed by traffic at some point.

Ten Commandments For Pedestrians

1 Wear white at night.

2 Dress warmly.

3 Don't run. 

4 Beware of black ice underfoot.

5 Always have a chocolate bar in your pocket in case your vehicle gets stuck, or you fall. 

6 Assume all vehicles are driven by drunks who will react slowly, or aggressively.

7 Wear warm clothes whenever you open the door, even when going out to the bins, or to smoke a cigarette. You could fall, or be attacked.

8 Invest in padded clothing, or ski clothes, to protect yourself from both cold and injury if you fall.

9 Have help lines in your phone.

10 When you go out, check your route and tell your family your route and when you will be back. This includes going into your own back garden, round the corner to the shops and popping in to see neighbours.

Warn your children not to accept dare. Just reply, I dare you to try to act like an adult.

Website on Accident

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16291157/Schoolgirl-brain-damage-car.html 

Please bookmark and share links to important posts.

Saving Lives Of Passengers - with seatbelts and seatbelt signs

Picture of vehicle's dashboard fasten seatbelt sign. From Wikipedia. Attribution to I,Soupeurfave. 

In Singapore I believe it is illegal for a driver to drive until passengers are in seatbelts. A taxi driver refuses to go until your seatbelt is done up. 

If drivers had to pay huge mandatory fines for driving with passengers not secured, many lives would be saved.

Perhaps know the ten commandments for drivers and passengers. 

Ten Commandments For Drivers

1 Do up your own seat belt.

2 Do up the passengers' seat belts - do not drive until everybody is securely fastened.

3 Secure any children, in the back, in a seatbelt, in a car seat.

4 Do not drive when traffic lights are red, even at night on empty roads. A car coming the other way may be speeding thinking it is the only car on the road.


Ten Commandments For Passengers

1 Do up your seatbelt - the life you save may be your own.

2 Do up your seatbelt in the back, to prevent yourself catapulting forward and injuring the person in front.

3 Do up the seatbelt of a child passenger. 

4 Check the road is clear of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians before opening a car door from inside.

5 Do not ride in a car with a drunken driver.

See complete list in next post.

Website on Accident

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16291157/Schoolgirl-brain-damage-car.html 

Please bookmark and share links to important posts.

The World's Most Wonderful Vineyard Visits, USA, France, Chile, South Africa

Flag of the USA


 I was researching my forthcoming book on food and wine worldwide, when I decided the USA section needed expanding. I found a vineyard visited by a train, another reached by a cable car. I decided to ask AI to check out anything else interesting worldwide.

Here are the answers to my two questions:

1 Find me a Californian winery with a huge shop or train or experiences as well as tastings and food.

USA

Here are California wineries and dedicated wine experiences that combine a huge gift shop/marketplace, train rides, extensive food/dining options, and interactive experiences with tastings:

1. V. Sattui Winery (St. Helena, Napa Valley, California, USA)

If your primary goal is a huge retail space packed with artisan food, this is the top destination in Napa Valley.

  • The Marketplace & Shop: V. Sattui features a massive 2,000+ square-foot artisan deli and gift shop stocked with over 200 fresh cheeses from around the world, charcuterie, house-made paninis, hot dishes, desserts, and wine-related merchandise.

  • Food & Dining: Beyond the deli, they host outdoor weekend BBQs (serving wood-fired pizzas, tri-tip, and ribs). You can pack a custom picnic basket and sit on their expansive oak-shaded lawns.

  • Experiences & Tastings: They offer seated barrel cellar tastings, food-and-wine pairing experiences, and underground cave tours.

  • The Train Connection: The tracks for the Napa Valley Wine Train run directly alongside the V. Sattui property. The train’s 6-hour Legacy Excursion makes an official stop here for an extended tasting tour.

2. Francis Ford Coppola Winery (Geyserville, Sonoma County)

The winery's promotion describes it as a 'wine wonderland'. Director Francis Ford Coppola designed this estate specifically as an interactive resort experience.

  • Shop & Experiences: The main pavilion houses a massive gift shop alongside a gallery featuring authentic movie memorabilia (including The Godfather desk, Don Corleone's car, and Oscar statues). It also features two massive swimming pools with private cabanas, bocce ball courts, and a terrace lounge.

  • Food & Dining: Rustic, a full-service restaurant, serves traditional Italian and international dishes (many using ingredients from the estate’s organic gardens).

  • Tastings: Offers everything from quick tasting bar flights to guided food-and-cheese pairings and vineyard estate walks.

3. Napa Valley Wine Train (Napa Valley)

If the train ride itself is your main priority, this classic 36-mile rail journey through Napa Valley functions as a mobile luxury restaurant and tasting studio.

  • The Train Experience: You travel in restored early-1900s antique Pullman rail cars with multi-course gourmet meals cooked fresh on board in specialized kitchen cars.

  • Winery Stops & Tastings: Depending on the package, options range from 3-hour glass-domed lunch rides (Vista Dome) to 6-hour tours (Legacy Experience) that disembark at famous local wineries like Grgich Hills Estate, Charles Krug, and V. Sattui for hosted tastings.

  • Grgich

  • Station & Shop: The central depot station in Downtown Napa features a gift shop and wine retail boutique.

Quick Comparison Summary

LocationTrain ElementFood & DiningShop / MarketStandout Feature
V. Sattui WineryOfficial stop on the Napa Wine TrainArtisan deli & weekend outdoor BBQMassive cheese & food marketplaceBest for picnics & massive retail selection
Francis Ford Coppola WineryN/A (Driving location in Sonoma)Rustic (Full Italian restaurant)Movie memorabilia & lifestyle shopResort pools, bocce courts, & film props
Napa Valley Wine TrainFull vintage train excursionMulti-course fine dining on boardDepot station shop in NapaMoving views through the valley floor
Most unusual wine tours in the world

Here are some of the most unusual, creative, and memorable wine tours and tasting experiences around the world, ranging from underground spelunking to high-altitude cable cars.

Flag of France


FRANCE

1. Cave Spelunking & Blind Tasting (Ardèche, France)

  • The Experience: At Grotte Saint-Marcel (SpéléOenologie), winemakers send you deep into subterranean limestone caves with a speleologist guide. Equipped with headlamps and climbing gear, you navigate natural caverns before sitting in total pitch darkness to taste wines aged deep underground.

  • Why It’s Unique: Stripping away sight in complete subterranean silence heightens your senses of smell and taste dramatically.

2. Dining Inside a 10,000-Year-Old Meteor Crater (Faugères, France)

  • The Experience: At Domaine du Météore, vines are planted within a massive, ancient meteorite impact crater. The estate offers guided vineyard hikes into the depression, with picnic lunches. And / or starlight dining events at the bottom of the crater bowl.

  • Why It’s Unique: The unique soil chemistry from the cosmic impact gives the Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes a distinct mineral note.

Flag of Chile


CHILE

3. High-Altitude Cable Car & Indigenous Village (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

  • The Experience: Viña Santa Cruz takes guests through its vineyards via an open-air cable car that climbs up Cerro Chamis. At the summit, you don't just get a tasting room; you visit a reconstructed village showing Chile's pre-Columbian indigenous cultures (Mapuche, Rapa Nui, and Aymara) beside an astronomical observatory.

  • Why It’s Unique: Combines aerial vineyard views with cultural history and stargazing.

FRANCE

4. Cold War Nuclear Bunker & Artifacts (Bordeaux, France)

  • The Experience: Château Siran in Margaux features a fully functioning Cold War nuclear fallout bunker built in 1980. The bomb shelter was originally designed to protect the estate’s private wine collection (and the family). It now houses historic vintages beside a museum of rare antiquities.

  • Why It’s Unique: You can taste high-end Bordeaux inside a heavy-duty fallout shelter.


SOUTH AFRICA

Flag of South Africa

5. Open-Air Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tram (Franschhoek, South Africa)

  • The Experience: The Franschhoek Wine Tram operates open-air double-decker trams and open-air tram-buses along vintage railway tracks built in 1904. Passengers choose between several color-coded routes that hop between historic Cape Dutch wine estates.

  • Why It’s Unique: It offers a stress-free, scenic way to move between cellars in South Africa's picturesque valley without needing a designated driver.

USA

6. Llama Trekking & Wine Tasting (North Carolina, USA)

  • The Experience: At Divine Llama Winery, visitors go on a two-mile guided hike through wooded trails and hills accompanied by a llama before ending up at the tasting room.

  • Why It’s Unique: It is home to the largest llama farm in the Southeastern United States, combining animal therapy with viticulture.

7. Mountain Gondola Wine Flight (Calistoga, California, USA)

  • The Experience: At Sterling Vineyards, visitors do not drive up to the winery. Instead, you board an aerial tram (gondola) that lifts you high above the valley floor to a hilltop winery built in Greek island architecture style. You receive a glass of wine upon arrival at the upper terminal before exploring self-guided elevated walkways.

  • Why It’s Unique: It offers panoramic 360-degree views of Napa Valley accessible only by air.

Quick Overview

LocationWinery / ExperienceWhat Makes It Unusual
FRANCE
Ardèche, France
Grotte Saint-MarcelCaving gear, underground spelunking, and blind tasting in pitch dark.
Faugères, FranceDomaine du MétéoreVineyards and dining inside an ancient meteorite crater.
CHILE
Colchagua, Chile
Viña Santa CruzCable car to an observatory and pre-Columbian cultural village.
FRANCE
Bordeaux, France
Château SiranTour a 1980 Cold War nuclear fallout shelter holding rare wines.
SOUTH AFRICA
Franschhoek, South Africa
Franschhoek Wine TramHop-on, hop-off double-decker railway tram through the valley.
USA
North Carolina, USA
Divine Llama WineryGuided trail hikes accompanied by llamas,
Napa Valley, USASterling VineyardsAerial gondola ride up to a hilltop estate,