ESL Driving Reading

The ESL driving reading passage and questions on this page will be useful if you want to learn vocabulary about driving. When doing a reading exercise, like this, you have time to stop and look up words so you can learn what they mean. This means that you will learn their meaning well.

ESL driving reading activities like this one will help you learn the driving vocabulary.

Driving and traveling is a very big part or life no matter where you are living, so you will need to be able to talk about driving and understand the words other people use related to this. A good first step is to be able to understand written driving vocabulary and to then move onto understanding the words when they are spoken. This ESL driving reading activity will let you do that.

If you need any help understanding the vocabulary items used, you can visit the ESL driving vocabulary page where there is a vocabulary list with definitions. Once you have understood all the words in the passage you should try to answer the five questions that follow it. Then click the get score button to see how many you got correct.

ESL Driving Reading Comprehension Passage

Driving in Different Countries

Although people drive in all countries, the rules can be quite different between nations and areas. For this reason, you should always learn the laws before you decide to drive in a foreign country. If you are not careful, you can get into trouble, since the rules might be very different from what you are used to. For example, you can find some big differences in laws related to the minimum driving age, the appropriate side of the road to drive on, and mobile phone use while driving.

In the United States of America, people who live in Alaska may obtain a learner’s permit (legal permission to drive while being supervised) at the age of fourteen. This is quite different from the driving laws of Niger, where a person must be at least twenty-three years old to drive. If you are curious to know the minimum driving age in most countries, the answer is eighteen.

It may also surprise you to learn that not every country allows its citizens to drive, although most of them do. For example, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia no matter how old they are. Instead, they must have a male family member or hired male driver to travel by car.

Driving on the right or left side of the road also varies. For instance, in Great Britain, Cyprus, Australia, India, and Malaysia people drive on the left. However, in the U.S., Mexico, France, and Canada people are required to drive on the right. As a matter of fact, one country can have different driving rules for different areas. For example, people in Hong Kong drive on the left, while drivers in other parts of China use the right side of the road.

Other driving laws that are different between countries include those related to using mobile phones. In Japan, using any kind of mobile phone device is illegal, even if you do not need to hold the phone with your hands. However, in Argentina and Australia, drivers are allowed to talk on their mobile phones as long as they do not use their hands. 

You might also find it interesting to learn that some countries have very strange or unusual laws. For example, in the country of Cyprus, it is against the law to eat or drink anything while driving. Even more interesting is that in Germany, there is a famous road called the Autobahn, where certain parts have no speed limit at all! 

ESL Driving Reading Comprehension


Reading comprehension questions that go with the above reading passage.

1) According to the passage, why is it illegal to eat or drink while driving in Cyprus?
        A) Eating or drinking while driving causes car accidents.
        B) Eating or drinking while driving stops drivers from watching their speed.
        C) Eating or drinking while driving is not responsible.
        D) The passage does not give the reason.
2) Which of the following is true according to the passage?
        A) You can drive as fast as you want on all parts of the German Autobahn.
        B) It is okay to hold your mobile phone and talk while you drive in Australia.
        C) Females cannot drive a car in Saudi Arabia.
        D) People in India drive on the right side of the road.
3) Why should you learn the laws before driving in a foreign country?
        A) It is important because it is fun to learn about other countries’ driving laws.
        B) It is important because you can get into trouble when you are not used to another country’s rules.
        C) It is not important to learn the laws before driving in a foreign country.
        D) It is important because you can have a car accident if you do not know the rules.
4) What is a learner’s permit?
        A) It is a temporary driver’s license.
        B) It is permission to drive while being supervised.
        C) It is a special driving course in the United States.
        D) It is a special driver’s license for foreign visitors.
5) Which of the following law differences between countries is not discussed in the passage?
        A) Drinking alcohol and driving.
        B) The minimum driving age.
        C) The appropriate side of the road to drive on.
        D) Talking on your mobile phone while driving.

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Correct answers:



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