1.

Everyday English phrases for talking about driving

Im heading to the universityIll give you a ride if you want.
The verb heading to is an informal way to say going to or traveling to, and the
expression Ill give you a ride means I will take you in my car to the destination.
- Ellis gave us a ride to school this morning.

2.

Everybody buckle up, please.

The phrasal verb buckle up means to put on your seat belt. You can also use the
verb fasten with a seat belt:
- Everybody fasten your seat belts, please.
The opposite of buckling or fastening your seat belt is unbuckling the seat belt
(opening/removing the seat belt).
You may also hear similar expressions on the airplane:
- Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned off the Fasten Seat Belt sign, and you may
now move around the cabin. However we always recommend to keep your seat belt
fastened while youre seated.

3.

Theres a huge traffic jam on the highway.

A highway (also called a freeway or expressway) is a wide street where the traffic goes fast.
A traffic jam is when the traffic is stopped or slow:
- We were stuck in a (traffic) jam for two hours.
You may also use the expression stop-and-go traffic:
- I arrived home at eight-thirty last night, the usual 40-minute drive stretching to more than
-

4.

3 hours of stop-and-go traffic.

I'm driving in stop-and-go traffic and I dont think I can make it at 10:00.
If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving, it's tiring to have a manual.

You dont want to be in this laneits exit-only.

Most roads and highways are divided into lanes. An exit is a road to leave the highway, to get
off the highway. If a lane is exit-only, it means that the cars in that lane must leave the highway.
- The northbound lane is closed because of an accident.
- Use the inside (outside) lane for overtaking only.
- The lorry/truck was travelling at 20 mph in the slow lane.
- Fast lane is for cars travelling at over 100 kilometers an hour.
- That idiot changed lanes without signaling.
- Are taxis allowed to use the bus lane?

5.

Pull overI think the car is overheating.

This phrasal verb means to drive your car to the side of the road and stop. The side of the road is
sometimes called the shoulder. You usually pull over if you think there is a problem with the
carsuch as in this case, when the car is overheatingthat means the engine is getting too hot.
-

6.

The police pulled me over and checked my licence.

I pulled over and looked at the map.

Did you see how that guy just cut me off?

If another car cuts you off, it means the other car suddenly drives in front of your car. It is a
dangerous movement because it can cause an accident.
- A man in a station wagon cut me off on the freeway.
7.

Im thirstylets make a pit stop at the next service station.

When you are taking a road trip (a long trip by car), youll occasionally need to make a pit
stopthat means to stop at a store or station to use the bathroom and/or buy food and drinks.
-

8.

We made a quick pit stop in Denver before continuing our journey.

Turn left at the light and then follow the signs for the airport.
The red, yellow, and green lights that control traffic are called traffic lights. However, when
giving directions, some people simply say at the light.
Information and directions are posted along the road on signs.
- The traffic lights werent working.

9.

I slammed on the brakes when I saw a child run in front of the car.
The word brakes refers to the equipment that makes the car stop. We can say hit the brakes or
put on the brake to describe using this equipment to stop the car, but the verb to slam on the
brakes means to stop the car suddenly, in the case of an emergency.
Anti-lock braking system (abbreviation ABS) a piece of equipment that makes a vehicle easier
to control when you have to stop very suddenly
-

An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is standard.

All our new models have anti-lock brakes.

10. Slow downthe speed limit is 55 (mph or km/hr).

There are two phrasal verbs we use to describe change in the cars velocityslow down to drive
the car slower, and speed up to drive the car faster. Speed is another word for velocity, and
most roads have a speed limitthe maximum velocity at which you can drive your car.
- Slow downyou're breaking/exceeding the speed limit.
-

Try not to go over the speed limit, Daniel.

Be careful! Youre driving over the 110 km/hr speed limit. Dont get caught by a speed
camera.

11. You forgot to turn off your blinker after you merged.
The yellow or orange lights on the sides of the car that indicate a left or right turn are called turn
signals or blinkers (BrE indicators).
You need to activate your blinker to inform other drivers that you plan to turn left, turn right, or
to mergethat means to move from one lane to another (without causing other vehicles to
slow down).
12. I wish youd stop being a backseat (back-seat) driver!
A backseat driver is a person in the car who is not driving, but who criticizes the drivers
abilities or who makes lots of suggestions and gives lots of tips for the driver to improve. Most
people think that backseat drivers are really annoying!
- I can't stand back-seat drivers even worse, passenger-seat drivers.