Interviews

High-intermediate

1. Vocabulary Preview:

Provide a list of key vocabulary words related to road rage, such as “cut off,” “cuss out,” and “flip off.”

2. Discussion Prompt:

Begin with a brief class discussion on the topic of road rage. Ask students if they have experienced or witnessed road rage and encourage them to share their thoughts on how they would handle such situations.

3. Predictive Questions:

Before playing the interview, provide students with a set of questions related to road rage, such as “What is road rage?” “How can one avoid road rage situations?” “What should you do if someone cuts you off?”

4. Role Play Scenario:

Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a scenario related to road rage, such as “You’re cut off in traffic,” “Someone flips you off,” or “You witness aggressive driving.”

Have each group come up with a short role play, depicting how they would handle the situation. This helps in applying the information from the interview to practical scenarios.

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

road rage (noun): aggressive or violent behavior exhibited by drivers on the road, often involving gestures, tailgating, or confrontations.

• • Sample sentence: Road rage can escalate quickly, leading to dangerous situations and conflicts between drivers.

engage (verb): to become involved or participate in a conversation, activity, or confrontation.

• • Sample sentence: In road rage incidents, it’s crucial to stay calm and not engage with aggressive drivers to avoid further escalation.

obscene gestures (noun phrase): offensive or vulgar hand signals or body language used to express anger or frustration.

• • Sample sentence: Making obscene gestures while driving can provoke other motorists and contribute to a hostile road environment.

brandish (verb): to wave or exhibit a weapon, usually in a threatening or aggressive manner.

• • Sample sentence: Brandishing a weapon during a road rage incident is not only illegal but can also lead to severe consequences and potential harm.

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, let’s talk about a common problem we unfortunately see a lot. And that deals with road rage. And what is it and how can you avoid such situations? Emily, how, what would you describe as road rage?

Emily: People flipping each other off or trying to run . . .

Randall: What do you mean flipping someone off?

Aubrey: Should we give you a demonstration? [Inaudible]

Emily: Is that what you’re asking for?

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: Making obscene gestures to each other.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: How was that?

Randall: Hey. That’s good. Making an obscene gesture. And then what?

Emily: Like following too close behind, um, trying to run each other off the road, things like that.

Aubrey: And then in our wonderful country, uh, gun

Emily: Pew-pew

Aubrey: Violence. Oh, yeah. I should censor that. I guess this isn’t going on TikTok. We can probably say the word gun.

Randall: All right. And so what would be some of the things to do if someone cuts you off or flips you off, or even brandishes a gun or something like that? What would be some of the things that you should do in those situations?

Aubrey: Well . . . 

Emily: Not engage.

Aubrey: The gun is a scary situation.

Emily: Yeah, I don’t know, but the other ones, uh, definitely don’t engage with them.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: Don’t go outside. That fixes this problem.

Randall: Well, some might be able to do that, but I think you mentioned maybe not engaging them. Perhaps as needed, you know, calling 911 or whatever the emergency number is in your area.

Aubrey: Well, and I think it’s perfectly acceptable to cuss them out in the privacy of your own car as long as they can’t hear you.

Emily: Yeah.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: It’s just when you’re inside thoughts become your outside thoughts and affect other people that it’s a problem.

Randall: Yeah, but what you mentioned, as long as they can’t hear you or see you?

Aubrey: Oh, they can see me. They know I’m swearing at them.

Randall: Yeah. Well, and that’s the, that’s the concern is that even though they might not be able to hear you, they might see your, you know, your body language and just think that, you know, who knows what they’re talking about.

Aubrey: Yeah. But I think it’s accepted that people cuss at each other in the privacy of their own cars. It’s when you start making obscene gestures that it’s an issue.

Randall: All right. Well, thank you for sharing your thoughts on road rage and how to avoid it.

Easy:

1. Personal Reflection: Share an instance when you or someone you know experienced a frustrating situation while driving. How was it handled, and what might you do differently after hearing the interview?

Intermediate:

2. Comparative Analysis: Compare the suggested actions for handling road rage in the interview with common advice found in driving safety manuals or courses. Identify similarities and differences and discuss their effectiveness.

Advanced:

3. Ethical Considerations: Explore the ethical implications of expressing frustration in the privacy of one’s car, as mentioned in the interview. Discuss whether there are situations where such expressions might be acceptable and when they might cross ethical boundaries.

4. Policy Recommendations: Imagine you are a consultant advising a city’s traffic safety department. Based on the insights from the interview, propose policies or educational initiatives to address road rage and promote safer driving practices in the community.