The Reading / Listening - Elderly Drivers - Level 5

A new road-safety strategy in Japan is encouraging elderly drivers to stop driving. A funeral home company is offering a 15 per cent discount on its services to drivers over the age of 75 who surrender their driving licence. The discount also applies to their family members. The scheme is backed by the local police. Drivers must hand in their licence to the police, who then provide a document as proof that the senior is no longer allowed to drive. Similar schemes in Japan have included cut-price taxi fares, discounts on entry to public baths and cheaper noodles.

The latest strategy is a further attempt to cut the large number of traffic accidents involving seniors. Almost five million people over the age of 75 drive in Japan. This is double the number from 10 years ago. There has been an increase in the number of fatal accidents involving elderly drivers. They accounted for 13.2 per cent of fatal traffic accidents in a central Japan district last year. This is up from 7.7 per cent in 2007. Some of those accidents were because seniors confused the accelerator and brake pedals or mistakenly put their car into reverse.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Elderly Drivers - Level 4 or  Elderly Drivers - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-39327663
  • http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170320/p2g/00m/0fe/048000c
  • http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/03/20/national/social-issues/funeral-discounts-deployed-rein-elderly-drivers/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A new road-safety
  2. encouraging
  3. a 15 per cent discount
  4. The discount also applies to
  5. Drivers must hand
  6. proof that the senior is no
  7. cut-
  8. discounts on
  1. price taxi fares
  2. longer allowed to drive
  3. entry to public baths
  4. in their licence
  5. on its services
  6. strategy in Japan
  7. their family members
  8. elderly drivers to stop

Paragraph 2

  1. cut the large number
  2. double the number
  3. There has
  4. the number of fatal accidents involving
  5. They accounted
  6. This is up
  7. confused the accelerator and
  8. mistakenly put their car
  1. from 7.7 per cent
  2. into reverse
  3. for 13.2 per cent
  4. from 10 years ago
  5. brake pedals
  6. been an increase
  7. elderly drivers
  8. accidents

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A new road-safety strategy in Japan (1) ___________________ elderly drivers to stop driving. A funeral home company (2) ___________________ 15 per cent (3) ___________________ services to drivers over the age of 75 who surrender their driving licence. The discount (4) ___________________ their family members. The scheme is backed by the local police. Drivers (5) ___________________ licence to the police, who then provide a document as proof that the senior is no longer allowed to drive. Similar schemes in Japan have included cut-price taxi fares, (6) ___________________ to public baths and cheaper noodles.

The latest (7) ___________________ further attempt to cut the large number of traffic (8) ___________________ seniors. Almost five million people over the age of 75 drive in Japan. This is (9) ___________________ from 10 years ago. There has been (10) ___________________ the number of fatal accidents involving elderly drivers. They accounted for 13.2 per cent of fatal traffic (11) ___________________ Japan district last year. This is up from 7.7 per cent in 2007. Some of those accidents were because seniors confused (12) ___________________ brake pedals or mistakenly put their car into reverse.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anewroad-safetystrategyinJapanisencouragingelderlydriverstosto
pdriving.Afuneralhomecompanyisofferinga15percentdiscountonits
servicestodriversovertheageof75whosurrendertheirdrivinglicence.
Thediscountalsoappliestotheirfamilymembers.Theschemeisbacked
bythelocalpolice.Driversmusthandintheirlicencetothepolice,whothe
nprovideadocumentasproofthattheseniorisnolongerallowedtodrive.
SimilarschemesinJapanhaveincludedcut-pricetaxifares,discountson
entrytopublicbathsandcheapernoodles.Thelateststrategyisafurther
attempttocutthelargenumberoftrafficaccidentsinvolvingseniors.Al
mostfivemillionpeopleovertheageof75driveinJapan.Thisisdoublethe
numberfrom10yearsago.Therehasbeenanincreaseinthenumberoffa
talaccidentsinvolvingelderlydrivers.Theyaccountedfor13.2percento
ffataltrafficaccidentsinacentralJapandistrictlastyear.Thisisupfrom7.
7percentin2007.Someofthoseaccidentswerebecauseseniorsconfus
edtheacceleratorandbrakepedalsormistakenlyputtheircarintorevers
e.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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