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Hot Dog Car Crashes Near Chicago, No One Hurt
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Intermediate
Intermediate
In this photo provided by Chicago Critter, one of Oscar Mayer’s hot dog-shaped Wienermobiles is flipped onto its side after crashing along Interstate 294, a suburban Chicago highway, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Oak Brook, Ill. (Chicago Critter via AP)

Hot Dog Car Crashes Near Chicago, No One Hurt

July 23rd, 2024

A big car shaped like a hot dog had an accident on a road near Chicago. This car is called a Wienermobile. It is famous and is made to look like a hot dog. The accident happened on a Monday morning. The Wienermobile hit another car and then flipped onto its side. No one was hurt. Because of the accident, people could not drive in one lane for more than one hour. The company that owns the Wienermobile said they are happy no one was injured. The Wienermobile was taken away on a big truck. There was some damage on the Wienermobile.
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💭 Discussion Questions


1
. What shape is the Wienermobile?
2
. What happened to the Wienermobile on a road near Chicago?
3
. How long was one lane blocked because of the accident?

📖 Vocabulary


🌐 Cultural context


The Wienermobile is an iconic vehicle in American culture, promoting a popular hot dog brand. It tours around the U.S. and is well-known for its unique shape.

🧠 Further reading


Positioning (marketing)
Positioning is how people think about a brand compared to other brands. It is not the same as knowing the brand's name. Companies can show what makes their brand special by telling about its different features or making it look like a certain kind of product, like cheap or fancy. When a brand is well-known in a certain way, it can be hard to change that image. Brands that make a strong, real connection with customers can stay in their minds for a long time. The idea of positioning started with focusing on the product. Then, it grew to include making a good name for the product. Now, positioning also means what a brand stands for. Positioning is very important in marketing. It can be used in one country or in many countries. The early days of positioning are not very clear. Some people think it came from advertising a long time ago and then became more popular later on. Positioning keeps changing and is still important for people who work in marketing. David Ogilvy, a marketing expert, says positioning is about what a product is and who it is for.

Car
A car is a vehicle with wheels that helps us travel on roads. It usually fits one to eight people and is mostly for moving people, not things. The first car with a steam engine was made by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769, and the first car with an engine inside it was made by François Isaac de Rivaz in 1808. The kind of cars we use now were first made in 1886 by Carl Benz from Germany. The Ford Model T was the first car that many people could buy. It came out in 1908 in America. After that, cars became very popular, especially in America. Later, after a big war, people in Europe and other places started to like cars a lot too. Cars are very important for countries to grow and do well. Cars have special parts to help drive, stop, make passengers comfortable, and lights. Over time, cars got more things like cameras to help us see behind, air to keep us cool, maps to help us find places, and music and video for fun. Today, many cars use engines that burn oil to run. But, electric cars are becoming more popular and might be cheaper than oil cars soon. People think electric cars are better for our Earth and can help stop climate change. Having a car can cost a lot of money, but it also helps us to go places and do things.

Traffic collision
When cars hit each other or crash into things like trees, it is called a traffic collision. These crashes can hurt people, make them disabled, or even cause death. They can also damage property and cost a lot of money. Driving on the road can be very dangerous. Crashes happen more often than big disasters but they are not talked about as much in the news. Some crashes happen on purpose, like when people use cars to do harm or when they plan a crash. There are many reasons why crashes happen. Some reasons are how the car is made, how fast the car is going, how the road looks, the weather, and how people drive. People might drive badly because they drink alcohol, take drugs, drive very fast, or do not pay attention to the road. In 2013, a lot of people around the world got hurt in car crashes, and many people died. Less children under five got hurt, but more adults got hurt compared to a long time ago. Rich countries are seeing fewer people die in crashes, but in poor countries, more people die. Middle-income countries have the most deaths from car crashes. Africa has a lot of deaths, but Europe has fewer. There are different types of car crashes, like when cars hit each other head-on.