Get in the driving seat and take control, move forward and take no prisoners.

The Americans and British enjoy being in the driving seat more than any other English-speaking area in the world, or at least it appears more often in their local news reports.

The sports pages like the phrase a lot.

They use it to describe a team or player who takes the lead and stays ahead.

Occasionally, a story will describe someone actually getting into the driving seat of a car but mostly it’s about taking control.

“Iconic car-maker Lotus has a new man in the driving seat after parting company with chief executive Dany Bahar.” (Evening News, Norwich, June 12)

“(Amy) Boulden was back in the driving seat when she won the 14th with a par three, halved the next in birdie three and then conceded the 16th to be two up with three to play.” (South Wales Echo, June 11)

“Errani was not about to let the chance to clinch the set slip by and a lovely wide serve and forehand combination put her in the driving seat.” (The Irish Examiner, June 8)

“Russia remain in the driving seat in the group with four points, going into their final match against Greece.” (Reuters News, June 13)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays. Clichés in the media are tracked across the world using Factiva and Dow Jones Insight.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.