Hey, guys! What's happening?
Today’s topic is especially important:
we’ll talk about traffic laws.
Some of them are valid in most states in the U.S., like this one:
Which means that you cannot throw garbage out on any public road.
But the penalties will vary.
It depends on the state.
There isn’t a regulation that applies to all American states,
and each state will have its own.
So, it’s really important to do some research on traffic rules beforehand
if you intend to drive in U.S.
Take a look at this example:
Pay attention to some terms that indicate prohibition,
like prohibited, mustn’t and can’t.
Let’s see some sentences:
As we’ve seen before,
you can also see the term illegal and its equivalent, against the law:
Besides knowing what NOT to do, you should also know what you MUST do.
Recognizing the traffic signs will help you.
Let’s see some of the most common ones:
The stop sign means you have to stop the car because you are near a crossing.
The next one is: No U-turn sign,
which means you can’t reverse direction on the same road or street that you are on
to go in the opposite direction.
More often than not, U-turns are permitted in the U.S.,
so if you don’t see the sign, you are probably allowed to do it.
The pedestrian crossing sign is generally represented by a walking person symbol
or the words: PED XING.
Always keep an eye open for the crosswalk,
the lines marked on the street where pedestrians can cross and where drivers must stop to let them cross.
Let’s see another common sign:
the yield sign.
Sometimes called a give-away sign,
it means you must stop to allow for another vehicle to proceed.
Must turn left or right signs mean you have to go in that direction.
See the word: must.
That indicates an obligation.
Even if you want to go straight, sorry... you can’t!
No parking – tow-away zone
means you can’t park your car there
and if you do so, it will be towed away.
Save yourself a headache and don’t do it!
Speed limit sign:
we’ve seen this one before but let me remind you it informs the maximum legal speed.
There is also the night speed limit sign.
You have to drive slower at night, mainly to avoid hurting pedestrians.
And keep in mind those signs are in miles per hour, OK?
Well, you are going to see a lot of signs anywhere you go,
so you must always pay attention to traffic.
And if you are not sure about how to proceed, the best thing to do is to just go with the flow.
Nobody wants to get a ticket, right?
Speeding, going over the speed limits, for example, may get you in serious trouble.
Another important sign is the toll road sign,
which indicates a public or private road you have to pay a fee to use.
They are also called turnpikes,
and the procedures are the same all over the country.
You will see:
Stop ahead. Pay toll on the road.
The U.S. has around 5 thousand miles of toll roads,
so you’d better be ready for this situation.
Your car rental company will probably offer you this as an additional service.
Take into consideration that if you intend to drive mostly inside the city you won’t need it much,
but if you intend to drive long distances it’s probably a good idea to hire one.
The most used method in the U.S. is the electronic toll payment option,
and the central lanes are usually exclusive for electronic payment.
If you choose to pay cash, you’ll probably need to have change.
Some toll booths are electronic and will only take the exact amount in coins.
And besides learning the traffic signs and toll road lanes,
there’s one more safety rule you must respect.
In the U.S., the rule is:
Notice the use of must to talk about things that are obligatory.
Despite that, someone might try to overtake you on the right.
So, keep checking your mirrors.
Better safe than sorry, right?
And you should always check for motorcycles.
In some states, such as California, motorcycles can ride in between lanes,
so watch out for the blind spot when you change lanes.
Here’s my tip when driving in the U.S., especially in California:
Notice that we used the imperative form to give this instruction.
Also, we used the verb beware
to give a warning about something you should be careful about.
By the way, pay attention to the carpool lane,
sometimes called HOV lane, or high-occupancy vehicle lane,
which is a lane that cannot be used by cars with only one person
and are designed to encourage carpooling.
Some states use it to decrease the numbers of cars on the streets
during high-traffic periods, or peak hours.
So, look out for signs that state the minimum number of people per vehicle
to use this lane and pay attention:
And again, the word must
tells us that this is an obligation.
If you don’t comply with this law, you will be fined.
You probably know that already,
but let me remind you that both the driver
and the passengers must always wear the seat belt.
Safety first, guys!
And, of course, respect the traffic signs.
And last, but certainly not least,
what should you do if a police officer tells you to stop?
If that happens…
If a police car is following you with its siren blaring or emergency lights flashing,
slow down, put your turn signal on, and pull over to the shoulder or to a safe area.
The police officer will probably stop the car behind yours and walk to you.
So, it’s time to roll down the window,
turn off the engine, and shift in to Park.
Stay in the car with your hands on the wheel.
If it’s nighttime, turn on the interior light.
The police officer will probably ask for your driver’s license
and the car document by saying:
Stay calm.
There’s nothing to be nervous about.
Take the documents and hand them to the officer, then put your hands back on the wheel.
Wait for the officer to say what’s wrong,
and if you don’t understand, you can say:
And you can add:
Then ask the officer to repeat:
Now, guys, if the officer decides to fine you for something,
he or she will probably do it without saying anything else
and will hand back your documents.
Don’t argue.
Be polite and respectful with the officer.
Remember that being rude won’t get you anywhere.
You may apologize for the violation and say that it’s not going to happen again.
You can say, for example:
And no matter what happens, always thank the officer in the end:
After all, police patrol officers are there to take care of everybody’s safety and well-being.
That’s it, guys!
Now do the follow-up activities and come back next class!
Have a good one!