🚗 English Phrasal Verbs for Driving 🚗

When driving, what's the difference  between pulling over and pulling alongside,  

pull up and pull in, pull off and pull out?

Don't let phrasal verbs frustrate you,  let's straighten them out together.

First in this video, I'll explain each phrasal  verb and then I'll bring them together in a true  

story and a dramatic story about my very  first car crash, not that I've had loads.

Number one is pull out, if you pull out in your  car, it means that you move away from the side of  

the road or you emerge from a junction so you pull  out into the main road from a small side road.

I was happily driving down the road when some  fool pulled out in front of me without looking.

Next we have to pull off this means to leave  the road in order to stop for a short time.

For example, the fuel gauge started flashing at  

us so we pulled off at the nearest  junction to find a petrol station.

Next, we have pull over this means to move your  vehicle to the side of the road to stop or just  

to briefly like slow right down to allow  something to pass like an emergency vehicle.

I could see an ambulance  behind me flashing its lights,  

siren going so I pulled over to let it pass.

Next, we have pull in this means to move to the  side of the road or to a place where you can stop.

So, you might pull into a service station or pull  

into a car park or just pull  in to the side of the road.

I'm so desperate for the toilet just  pull into the first garage you see.

Next, we have to pull up this means to slow  down and stop not necessarily at the side of  

the road or in any particular place you  just stop. I pulled up at the traffic  

lights and waited for those lights to  turn green so I could pull off again.

Ahh yes, please note that pull off can also be  used to describe the moment when you go again,  

when you leave after being stationary.

I pulled up at the traffic lights and waited for  

those lights to turn green  so I could pull off again.

Next, we have pull alongside this means to move  

directly beside something even if it's  still in motion, you pull alongside it.

While driving down the dual carriageway,  

two teenagers on a motorbike pulled alongside  us it made me feel very uncomfortable.

So, at the beginning, I asked you what's the  difference between pull over and pull alongside?

Well, if a policeman pulls alongside you,  then it simply means that he comes next to  

your vehicle. You may be sitting at some traffic  lights and a policeman pulls alongside you gives  

you a little nod you give him a little nod  feeling suddenly quite nervous for no reason.

And then the light turns green you start  driving but the policeman is tailing you  

and he starts his lights and an indicator  and he's telling you to pull over at this  

point he wants you to leave the road and  come over to the side of the road to stop.

The police car has pulled you over.

This is because when he pulled alongside  you, he noticed your wing mirror was missing.

And he noticed that when he  pulled alongside you therefore,  

he allowed you to pull in front of him  while he made some checks on his radio.

Excuse me me. Can I just call in a  reg plate and tell me a registration  

number you tell me if this is a dodgy one or not.

And then he finds out some information  about you and he pulls you over.

Excuse me, do you know that your wing  mirror is missing as a legal you know.

Pull alongside, pull over.

What's the difference between pull up and  pull in. To pull up is simply to stop,  

you might pull up at the traffic  lights if the traffic lights are red,  

or you would pull up at the  junction where it says stop.

You pull up, you wait. And then  you check and you go again.

To pull in again is to move over to  the side of the road or to go into a  

specific place to stop like a  car park or a service station  

or an area at the side of the road  that is designated for quick stops.

You pull in. You pull up and you pull in.

Next, I asked the difference  between pull off and pull out.

To pull off is to come off  a road with the expectation  

that you're going to stop for a short time.

So, if you're on a long journey or on the  motorway, you might need to pull off at  

a service station to go to the toilet, stretch  your legs and grab something to eat, and to pull  

out is to emerge and come back into the traffic  or to come out of a junction into another road.

So, you pull off.

Oh, let's just stop for a minute.

And then you pull out.

Hello.

Okay, I hope that helped.

Now it's time for a true story.

Not long after passing my driving test,  I was involved in a car crash. It was a  

head on collision, which wrote off both  cars involved. I was driving down the  

road. My side of the road consisted of  two lanes. I was on the outside lane,  

which is the nearest lane to the middle of  the road. There were stationary traffic in  

the inside lane all pulled up at the lights  waiting to turn left but my lane was for  

vehicles going straight ahead and my lights  were green so my lane was moving freely.

Bye bye suckers!

I didn't say that.

I was moving at around 20 to 25 miles per hour.

From a junction on my left up ahead,  

which I couldn't see due to stationary  traffic. A car was about to emerge.

He pulled out without checking the  second lane just as I arrived. By  

the time I saw his car pull  out I had zero time to brake.

We slammed into each other.

It was a mess. In shock. My first  thought was to move out of the way  

so I pulled off the main road pulling into  the junction from which the other car had  

emerged. The other car did the same and  we both pulled over the side of the road.

I called my mom as I wasn't far from home.

Then I got out to talk to the other driver  who was in fact pinned inside his car.

Due to his door buckling, a witness  pulled alongside us offering me her  

details for insurance purposes. We all exchanged  details, and I waited for my mum to pick me up.

That was my story but did you  spot the six phrasal verbs.

Not long after passing my driving  test, I was involved in a car crash.

It was a head on collision, which  wrote off both cars involved. I was  

driving down the road my side of  the road consisted of two lanes.

I was on the outside lane, which is the  nearest lane to the middle of the road.

There were stationary traffic in the inside lane  all pulled up at the lights waiting to turn left  

but my lane was for vehicles going straight  ahead and my lights were green so my lane was  

moving freely bye bye suckers! I didn't say that.  I was moving at around 20 to 25 miles per hour.

From a junction on my left up ahead, which I  couldn't see due to stationary traffic a car  

was about to emerge. He pulled out without  checking the second lane just as I arrived.

By the time I saw his car pull out I had zero  time to brake. We slammed into each other.  

It was a mess in shock. My first thought  was to move out of the way so I pulled off  

the main road pulling into the junction  from which the other car had emerged.

The other car did the same and we  both pulled over the side of the road.

I called my mum as I wasn't far from home.

Then I got out to talk to the other driver  who was in fact pinned inside his car due to  

his door buckling a witness pulled alongside us  offering me her details for insurance purposes.

We all exchanged details, and I  waited for my mum to pick me up.

Now phrasal verbs are tricky  to learn because you have to  

learn each individual phrasal verb in context.

If you find this to be quite a daunting task  and you want to brush up on your phrasal verbs  

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Until next time, take care and goodbye.

The cats have just started talking  on the roof can you hear them?