Project 1: See it and say it

If this is your first 'formal' experience of commentary driving it is best to stick to the absolute basics to start with.

As with all good learning you will start with the 'simple' and then later move to more 'complex' ideas. In this instance 'simple' is just calling out the name of road signs as you drive around, what could be easier than that!

For example, if you saw a sign showing a side road to the left you would say (out loud) something like "Side road coming up on the left" or "Junction on the left".

Start your practise with a 30/40 minute drive around your local area on roads that you know well. As you drive looking out for road signs and markings and say out loud the name or meaning of each one as you spot it.

Your aim is simply to say what you see, picking out the key hazards as demonstrated in the video above.

When drivers do this they often find that they spot local signs or markings that they haven't seen before... Even in the road where they live! This shows that they are becoming more observant.

Every time you see a sign or marking consider its relevance and position. How helpful is it to you as a driver?

Ask yourself questions about:

• What?
• When?
• Where?
• How?
• Why?

For example:

• "What action do I need to take and how will it affect others?"
• "When do I have to start acting upon the sign?"
• "Where is the hazard indicated by the sign?"
• "How will I respond?"
• "Why do I need to respond?"

That's all there is for this project, easy, but very valuable and very important. If you find that this exercise is easy, continue to practise anyway...

You can continue to move on with the course - but avoid the temptation to do the next commentary project before you have practised and mastered this one.

Next: Project 2, Making sense of what you see