Interviews

High-intermediate

What are the steps to get a driver’s license in your country? Do people take lessons at a school, or do they learn from family and friends? 

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

break the law (verb): do something illegal
– If you break the law, you may face fines or other penalties.

backseat driver (noun): someone who gives unwanted advice to the driver to control where they go
– Hey. Stop being a backseat driver. I know how to drive.

stress someone out (phrasal verb): make someone feel very nervous or worried
– My parents always stress me out when I drive. They always think I’m going to get in an accident.

wreck (noun): a serious accident
– Three weeks ago, we were in a terrible wreck when a truck lost control on the highway and ran into us.

luck out (phrasal verb): succeed by luck
– You lucked out when the police officer only gave you a warning for speeding.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: In this video, we want to talk about learning how to drive, and I know when I was growing up, that was one of the things that I really anticipated doing, you know, turning 16 and getting my driver’s license. But for you, Aubrey, what was that like? Where did you first learn to drive, and how was our response to you as you were trying to take lessons and doing some practice with us?

Aubrey: Yeah. So I don’t like driving. Let’s just start with that. Um, it’s definitely freeing though, ’cause I took public transportation for a while before I bought a car. Hate it. Um, as far as learning how to drive, I did driver’s ed in high school, and you guys wouldn’t teach me how to drive before I got my learner’s permit, Right? Some cool parents will let you learn how to drive before you get your learner’s permit, but you guys weren’t cool.

Randall: What do you mean we weren’t cool?

Aubrey: You weren’t cool. And it was terrible to drive with you guys illegally.

Randall: You mean not letting you drive illegally . . . Is that what you mean?

Aubrey: Yeah, exactly. You would let me break the law, so you weren’t cool?

Randall: Oh, oh, okay. All right. And what was it like at school? I’m sorry. Did you have something else to say?

Aubrey: Oh, yeah. You guys were awful. Awful backseat drivers. Mom was the worst, but you were not great either. It’s like, No, you need to stop. It’s like, yeah, we’re 20ft away from that stop sign. I don’t need to stop yet. Like, we’re fine. You’re stressing me out.

Randall: And,uh, what is it like at school for those that don’t have, like, driving school or driving lessons at school? What was that? What did that look like?

Aubrey: Yeah, so like, it was . . . I took it as part of high school, so it was its own class period, and there were, um, cars. And there was like after school portions, too. And you’d like drive on the driving course and do different things like, uh, weaving in between, like those traffic cones, parking, making turns, almost getting in wrecks with each other.

Randall: Well, finally, you did end up with your driver’s license.

Aubrey: Yeah, And it was really nice because the instructor that gave me my driver’s test didn’t ask me to parallel park ’cause I don’t know how to do that.

Randall: Well, I guess you lucked out.

Aubrey: Yes.

Randall: All right. Thank you for sharing those thoughts on driving, especially from your good old dad.

What are basic driving rules for these situations, and what is the penalty for violating these laws?

• legal driving age
• speed limits in the city, in school zones, and on the highway
• seatbelts for adults and children
• wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle
• right of way when coming to a four-way stop (in other words, which car proceeds first)

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• Drive Someone Crazy – Idiom
• Driver’s Education
• Driver’s License
• Drivers with Disabilities
• Driving Road Test
• Teenage Drivers
• Texting and Driving
• Winter Driving Tips