How narrating what you see transforms your observation, anticipation and hazard recognition — and makes you a safer, more aware driver.
From Roadcraft: "A useful technique to help develop your anticipation is to do a running commentary in your head as you drive. Describe what hazards you can observe and how you plan to deal with them."
Sharpen Observation
Build Anticipation
Spot Hazards Earlier
Improve Planning
Feeds into IPSGA
Chapter 4 — Roadcraft 2025
Commentary driving means narrating aloud — or in your head — everything you observe on the road and what you intend to do about it as you drive. It is not just describing what you see. It includes identifying hazards, questioning what might happen, and stating your planned response.
Roadcraft describes it as "a useful technique to help develop your anticipation." It forces your brain to consciously process information that experienced drivers sometimes handle automatically — but without always noticing gaps in their own awareness.
It is used in police driver training as a diagnostic and development tool. An observer listening to your commentary can immediately identify where your observation is weak, where you missed a hazard, or where your planning was late.
It works for all drivers at all levels — from newly qualified to advanced. The act of putting your observations into words makes the invisible visible.
Actively scan the environment — far distance, middle distance, foreground, sides and mirrors. Name what you observe out loud or in your head.
Classify what you see as a hazard — actual or potential. Ask: is this a physical feature, another road user, or a weather/surface condition?
"What if…?" — verbalise the worst credible outcome. What could this hazard do? What are other road users likely to do next?
State your intended response. "I'm checking mirrors… I'll reduce speed… I'll hold this position until I can see into the junction." Describe your IPSGA phases.
Chapter 4 — The Science Behind It
Vision is your most important sense but use all of them — sight, hearing, smell and physical sensations. Your brain combines your observations with past experience to build a detailed mental map of your situation.
Your brain compares this mental picture with past experience, identifies what worked before, and chooses a plan of action. It assesses risk, anticipates how events will unfold, and judges space, position, speed and gear.
You take action — an appropriate physical response. Steer, brake, signal, accelerate, change position.
As you act, your brain takes in new information and continuously checks it so you can modify your actions at any time. This loop never stops while you are driving.
Commentary driving works because it plugs directly into this loop. By verbalising each step, you force the Input and Decision stages to be conscious and deliberate — instead of automatic and unchecked.
When information processing breaks down:
Increased reaction time — you see it but respond too slowly
Errors of perception — you look at a hazard but don't register it
Decreased focus — attention narrows, peripheral hazards are missed
Memory failures — information does not pass into long-term memory
Chapter 4 — Roadcraft 2025
"A hazard is anything that is an actual or potential danger." — Roadcraft Chapter 4. A hazard may be immediately obvious, or something less obvious but equally dangerous. Failing to recognise hazardous situations is a major cause of collisions.
Junctions, bends, road surface, gradients, narrowing, hump bridges, blind crests, road markings, level crossings. Fixed and predictable — but only if you look far enough ahead.
Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, horses, motorcyclists. Dynamic and unpredictable — observation of their behaviour, head movements, speed and position gives vital early clues.
Ice, standing water, fog, bright sun, debris, loose gravel, mud, wet leaves. These affect grip, visibility and stopping distances — and can change the severity of all other hazards.
"A hazard may be immediate and obvious, such as a car approaching you on the wrong side of the road. Or it might be something less obvious but just as dangerous — for example, a blind bend could conceal an obstacle in your path."
Driving hazards come singly and in clusters — they overlap and change all the time. Your commentary must deal with multiple hazards simultaneously, prioritising by level of danger, proximity, and whether they are moving or stationary.
Naming a hazard out loud forces you to consciously acknowledge it. You cannot commentate on a hazard you haven't noticed — which makes gaps in your observation instantly apparent to both you and any observer.
Chapter 4 — The Foundation of Commentary
"Drivers who rapidly scan the whole environment looking for different kinds of hazards have a much lower risk of incident than drivers who concentrate on one area."
"Learn to use your eyes in a scanning motion that sweeps the whole environment — the far distance, the middle distance, the foreground, the sides and rear."
"What we see largely depends on what we expect to see." Cyclists and motorcyclists become 'invisible' because drivers build expectations on what they commonly see — larger vehicles. On familiar routes, habit can prevent you from spotting unexpected hazards.
Commentary driving directly tackles this — naming what you see forces active rather than passive looking.
The eye's peripheral receptors are especially good at sensing movement. Peripheral vision gives you your sense of speed, road position, and acts as a cue for central vision — warning of areas to examine more closely.
"The faster you go, the further ahead you need to look." As speed increases, foreground detail blurs — you must scan further ahead to give yourself time to assess, plan and react. Commentary disciplines you to look further ahead consistently.
Chapter 4 — The Core Skill
"Anticipation is the ability to identify hazards at the earliest possible opportunity." — Roadcraft, Chapter 4
Good anticipation is more than good observation. It means reading the road and extracting the fullest meaning from your observations. Observation and anticipation reinforce each other — the more you observe, the better you anticipate; the better you anticipate, the more purposefully you search for clues.
Trained drivers spot the early signs of possible trouble and anticipate what might happen, so they react early and appropriately. They are constantly monitoring risks at a subconscious level. Commentary driving accelerates this by making the process conscious and deliberate.
"Anticipating hazards gives you extra time. The more time you have to react to a hazard, the more likely it is that you can deal with it safely."
"Observation and anticipation reinforce each other... Anticipating hazards means that you search the road for visual clues. From this careful observation, you gather new visual clues that increase your ability to anticipate."— Roadcraft, Chapter 4
Roadcraft specifically recommends asking "What if…?" when you observe a hazard. Here are the direct examples from the book:
Add your own as you practise:
Chapter 4 — Turning Observation into Action
"Generally, things don't just happen; there's usually enough time to anticipate how a hazard might unfold. Good planning depends on early observation and early anticipation of risk."
"Where there are multiple hazards, deal with them in order of importance." The level of danger varies with the hazard itself, its distance, whether it is moving or stationary, and how fast you are approaching it.
"The purpose of your plan is to decide on and adopt a course of action that ensures the safety of yourself and other road users at all times."
Chapter 5 — Roadcraft 2025
"Observation links are clues to physical features and the likely behaviour of other road users." Aim to build up your own stock of observation links, which will help you anticipate road and traffic conditions as you scan the environment. Commentary driving is the fastest way to build this skill.
When you see
A cluster of lamp posts
Look out for a probable roundabout ahead — adjust speed, lane, and signal plan early
When you see
No gap in a bank of trees
The road curves left or right ahead — reduce speed, improve your position for view
When you see
A bus at a stop
Pedestrians crossing to and from the bus. The bus may move off at an angle into traffic
When you see
A row of parked vehicles
Doors opening, vehicles pulling out, pedestrians stepping out — especially small children hidden from view
When you see
A railway line beside the road
"The road will invariably go over or under it, often with sharp turns" — plan your speed early
When you see
Flashing brake lights ahead
A hazard the driver ahead has responded to by braking hard — begin your own speed reduction immediately
When you see
A cyclist looking over their shoulder
They are preparing to turn right. Allow space and time — do not pass until their intention is clear
When you see
A single lamp post alone
Look out for the exit point of a junction nearby — check mirrors, be ready to adjust speed
Build your own: "Next time you drive along a familiar route, look for additional sources of information. Look for glimpses of wider views and information from lights and shadows." — Roadcraft, Chapter 5
Chapter 4 — What Commentary Corrects
"Less experienced drivers often perceive a bend as being less sharp than it actually is so they negotiate it too quickly and risk loss of control or a collision."
"Drivers using a radio make perceptual errors such as looking directly at hazards but not seeing them because their attention is directed elsewhere." Distraction makes hazards invisible.
"When you drive regularly on familiar roads, habit can prevent you from spotting a hazard that you don't expect." Collisions are disproportionately frequent on familiar roads.
"Drivers build their expectations on what they commonly see." Cyclists and motorcyclists are underrepresented in mental models — so they become 'invisible' until dangerously close.
"If you concentrate your vision on a small area, you are less aware of the whole picture." Fixing on one risk area stops you seeing it in context of the wider road environment.
When processing capacity is overstretched, reaction time increases — decision time is longer than response time. The gap between seeing and acting grows.
How to Build the Skill
Choose a road you know well so the driving task is easy. This frees mental capacity to focus on verbalising your observations without managing complex traffic at the same time.
Speaking out loud is more powerful than thinking. It is harder to gloss over a gap when you have to say the words. "Junction ahead… checking mirrors… what can I see to the right?" Record yourself on your phone if alone.
Follow the four-step structure on every hazard: observe, identify the type, ask what could happen, state your response. Miss any step and you have found a gap to work on.
An experienced passenger listening to your commentary can immediately spot hazards you missed, moments where your planning was late, or phases of the IPSGA system that were absent. This is exactly how police driver training uses it.
"Your ability to honestly self-assess your own driving performance accurately and learn from experience is the most important skill of all." — Roadcraft, Ch. 1. After each practice session, ask: what did I miss? What was late?
Progression levels:
Name what you see: "parked van on left, junction ahead, bus stop right." Focus on scanning the full environment — far, mid, near, sides, mirrors.
Add hazard identification and "What if?": "Child near kerb — what if they step out? Holding speed, covering brake, moving slightly right."
Integrate full IPSGA: "Roundabout ahead — Information: mirrors done, signal left. Position: left lane. Speed: reducing. Gear: selecting 2nd. Acceleration: gap available, going."
The Connection
Commentary driving is not separate from the IPSGA System of Car Control — it is the active, conscious expression of it. Every phase of the system has a commentary component.
When you narrate your approach to a hazard, you are working through Information → Position → Speed → Gear → Acceleration out loud. The commentary reveals whether each phase was considered, timely, and in the correct order.
Roadcraft links both explicitly: "Use the system of car control whenever you drive so that you make decisions methodically and quickly." Commentary is the training tool that builds that habit.
When Roadcraft says to review your IPSGA use — "Do you take, use and give information throughout all phases?" — commentary provides the answer in real time. If you cannot describe it, you are not doing it.
"When you begin using the system, it may help to name each phase out loud as you enter it."— Roadcraft, Chapter 3
"Junction ahead right, checking mirrors, bus pulling out, pedestrian crossing — signalling now." Commentary is the real-time audit of your TUG — Take, Use, Give.
"Moving towards centre line for right turn — good view into the road, clear of oncoming." Stating your position confirms it was a conscious choice, not an accidental one.
"Reducing speed progressively — all braking before the bend — speed appropriate to stop in view." Commentary exposes late or absent speed management immediately.
"Speed correct, selecting 2nd — engine in right range for smooth pull-away." Commentary prevents gear before speed — the common mistake the book warns about.
"Final check — clear left and right — accelerating smoothly away." Stating the final check prevents emerging without a last look — one of the most dangerous omissions.
Summary Card — Based on Roadcraft 2025
Smart Driving Academy — Advanced Driving Series
smartdrivingacademy.ieSource: Roadcraft — The Police Driver's Handbook, 2025 Edition