Words and phrases to talk about driving
- Irina
- Mar 9, 2023
- 3 min read
If you've ever felt like you didn’t have enough vocabulary to talk about driving, check the words and phrases below. This post is not about names of different car parts (you can find plenty of those on the web). Instead, these are some words and phrases I’ve hand-picked for you to talk about the topic.
1. (To be) speeding - (to be) driving faster than you are legally allowed to.
That guy is speeding.
He was caught speeding.
She was fined for speeding last month.
2. To overtake - to come from behind another vehicle or a person and move in front of them.
Always check your rear view mirror before you overtake.
I accelerated to overtake the bus.
A continuous white line in the middle of the road means no overtaking.
3. To indicate - to show other road users that you intend to turn left or right when you are driving a vehicle.
Always indicate before moving into another lane.
He indicated left and then turned right.
4. To tailgate - to drive too closely behind the vehicle in front.
He hit the car in front of him because he was tailgating.
Experts there said teens are more likely to engage in risky driving habits such as tailgating and speeding.
5. To rear-end - to hit the back of one car with another in an accident.
My new car was rear-ended while it was parked outside the station.
A truck rear-ended a car stopped in traffic on the expressway.
6. Number plate (UK) or licence plate (US) - a sign on a road vehicle that shows its registration number.
His car has a personalised number plate.
She could just about read the number plate of the car speeding away from the accident.
7. To get points on your licence - to get penalty points on your driver record for committing a driving offence (in the UK, you will be disqualified from driving if you build up 12 penalty points over 3 years).
I got points on my licence for using my mobile phone while driving.
Your car insurance cost will probably increase if you get points on your licence.
8. A dent - a small, hollow mark in the surface of a car caused by pressure or being hit.
She ran into my car and put a dent in it.
I’ve got to fix the dent before I sell the car.
9. A pothole - a hole in a road surface that results from gradual damage caused by traffic and/or weather.
The car's suspension is so good that when you hit a pothole you hardly notice it.
The roads in urban areas are full of potholes, when they were not seven years ago.
10. Backseat driver - a passenger in a car who keeps giving the driver unwanted advice.
I hate to be a backseat driver but your driving makes me really nervous!
Would you stop being a backseat driver?
If you want to try using some more ‘action words’, here are a few phrasal verbs to check:
pull up - (of a vehicle) come to a stop (He pulled up outside the cottage).
pull out -move onto a road or onto a part of a road where the traffic is moving faster (She just pulled out in front of me without indicating!)
pull over - move to the side of the road and stop (I pulled over and looked at the map).
cut up - to suddenly move your car sideways in front of another car that was in front of you, leaving too little space (I got cut up several times on the motorway this morning).
run over - knock a person or animal down and pass over their body (The boy's dog had been run over by a car.)
drive off - to leave in a car (I got in the car and drove off).
pick up - go somewhere in your car to collect someone (Can you pick the children up from school?)
drop off - to take someone or something to a particular place by car, as you travel to a different place (I’ll drop you off on my way home).
Practice: Answer these questions using the vocabulary
Do you drive? Are you a good driver?
When was the last time you got upset or annoyed by someone else’s driving? What happened?
What is it like to drive in your city / town?
Have you ever committed a driving offence? Did you get caught?
Check this page if you want to revive or improve your spoken English:
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