Commentary Driving For The IAM RoadSmart Test: What To Say & How
Commentary driving — or “spoken thoughts” — is the practice of narrating your observations, anticipations, and plans aloud while you drive. It’s used in advanced driver training to demonstrate that your hazard perception and decision-making are happening before the hazard arrives, not during it.
It’s no longer a mandatory part of the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Test itself, but it remains one of the most effective ways to sharpen — and prove — the thinking behind your driving.
In this guide, I’ll cover:
- The three-part sequence — observation, anticipation, planning — that keeps your commentary structured and continuous
- Exactly what to say, with real examples from IAM Bristol’s associate guidance
- How to practise at home so sessions don’t feel like improv theatre on an A-road
So, What Actually Is Commentary Driving?
The first time my observer asked me to “just talk through what I’m seeing,” I nearly missed a give way line because I was too busy describing a lamppost. That’s the trap. Commentary driving isn’t a running travel diary; it’s a window into how you’re thinking as you drive.
The key distinction: you’re not narrating what just happened. You’re thinking aloud about what’s coming. An observer listening to your commentary shouldn’t hear a postcard from the road — they should hear a driver who’s already planning for what’s around the next bend.
That’s what separates commentary from talking. It’s active thinking made external, and it dismantles the passive habits most competent drivers pick up over years behind the wheel.
The Three Parts — Observation, Anticipation, And Planning
Good commentary is a verbal amalgam of three consecutive questions, asked continuously throughout the drive: What can — or can’t — I see? What might I reasonably expect to happen? What might I need to do about it? Observation, anticipation, planning — in that order, cycling continuously. Every new piece of information restarts the sequence. Every hazard you describe closes one cycle and opens another.
The continuous part is what catches most associates off guard. Commentary isn’t a structured monologue with a neat ending — it’s a real-time inner dialogue made external, running from the moment you pull away to the moment you stop. A good lead-in to close one hazard and open the next is something simple like “so, mirror check and scanning forward,” which ends one ‘paragraph’ and cleanly begins another.
Observation — What Can (Or Can’t) I See?
Observation starts at the furthest visible point and draws back through the midground, foreground, and sides — mirrors included. IAM Bristol’s guidance uses the analogy of a trawler net: throw it out to the limit point, then trawl the information back toward you, analyse it, check your mirrors, and cast again. Rear observation isn’t an optional extra; omitting it signals gaps in awareness to any observer worth their salt.
Crucially, the absence of information matters as much as what’s visible. “I can’t see around this bend” is a legitimate observation — and arguably more important than naming every parked car on a clear straight. Scan for signs, junctions, parked vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, road surface condition, and anything weather-related that might affect visibility or grip. As the guidance bluntly puts it, information won’t just come to you — you have to prise it out from every nook and cranny by continuous scanning.
Anticipation — What Might Reasonably Happen?
Anticipation is where most associates undersell themselves. Done well, it’s an informed prediction grounded in what you’ve just observed, not a vague hunch. And it needs to be specific: name what type of hazard, where it is, and why, rather than settling for “there might be something ahead.”
Take children waiting at a bus stop on the left. The useful commentary names the observation, the anticipated risk, and the response in one breath: children at the bus stop, so mirror check — one car behind, no oncoming, but a junction up on the right — moving out gradually so the following driver reads my intention, no signal needed as it could be mistaken for a right turn. Observation, anticipated hazard, driving response. That’s the standard.
Planning — What Am I Going To Do About It?
Planning closes the sequence and shows the observer that observations and anticipations are actually translating into action. Speed adjustments, position changes, gear selection, signal timing — state them aloud.
One thing worth remembering: say the plan even if the hazard doesn’t materialise. A well-executed plan for a non-event still demonstrates active thinking. Silence where a plan should be is what raises the eyebrow.
Before I Even Move Off — Setting The Scene
Most commentary guides skip this entirely, which is a missed opportunity. A pre-drive commentary signals that hazard thinking has started before the car moves.
Begin with the POWDERY check — the IAM pre-drive vehicle inspection covering Petrol, Oil, Water, Damage, Electrics, Rubber, and Yourself. Running through this aloud, alongside a thorough cockpit drill, establishes a systematic baseline before you pull away. Then follow it with a brief conditions synopsis:
“It’s a dry Tuesday afternoon on a suburban B-road — I’d expect parked vehicles, school-run traffic, and cyclists sharing the lane.”
This approach — taken directly from IAM Bristol’s associate guide — shows the observer that context-specific hazard thinking is already underway before you’ve touched the accelerator.
The Two Levels Of Commentary — Which One Am I Doing?
There are two distinct styles, and confusing them during practice sessions creates unnecessary friction. Here’s the difference:
| Level | Who Does It | What It Sounds Like |
| Associate to Observer | You, during practice or an assessment | Concise, real-time, hazard-focused |
| Observer to Associate | Your IAM observer | Detailed, educational — explains the why and invites you to join in |
As an associate, practise the associate-level style: clear, systematic, paced. The observer’s version is richer because it’s designed to teach — it’s pitched close to a public demonstration, delivered more slowly, and deliberately omits minor hazards to make room for explanation. Trying to replicate it during an assessment produces over-explanation and commentary that sprints ahead of the actual drive.
Keep it clean. One hazard, one plan, move on.
Common Mistakes That’ll Make Your Observer Wince
Every associate makes at least two of these. Knowing them in advance saves a long debrief in a layby.
- Talking at bullet-train speed — if the observer can’t follow what you’re saying, the commentary has failed. Bullet-speed commentary is unintelligible and, by modern standards, a little anachronistic. Pace it deliberately
- Narrating the past — “there was a junction back there” is useless. What’s missed is history; stay ahead of the car, not behind it
- Dropping the mirrors — rear observation is part of the scan; leaving it out signals incomplete awareness
- Going silent mid-commentary — a long pause usually means autopilot has kicked in. Keep the sequence turning
- Cramming too much in — you don’t have to cram the universe into your commentary. One well-described hazard with a clear plan beats five half-formed ones every time
How I Practise Commentary Driving Between Sessions
Observer time is valuable. Don’t spend it learning the basics aloud for the first time.
- Record a 10-minute commentary on a familiar route using your phone’s voice memo app. Play it back against your memory of the road and check: were you ahead of the car, or reacting to what you’d just passed? Extend the route gradually as it gets easier
- Start simple — name signs and junctions first. Then layer in anticipation, then planning. Building the sequence in stages stops it feeling like you’re patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously
- Use quiet, familiar roads first — practising in complex environments before the routine is automatic just produces rushed commentary and questionable lane discipline
- Ask your observer to focus on one element per session — mirrors one week, anticipation language the next. Targeting one thing fixes it; trying to fix everything fixes nothing
Right — Now You’re Ready To Go
Commentary driving clicks when you stop trying to sound impressive and start trying to sound clear. The observation-anticipation-planning sequence isn’t a script. It’s a rhythm that, with enough practice, stops feeling like a performance and starts feeling like thinking out loud.
Key takeaways before your next session:
- Run the POWDERY check and a conditions synopsis before you pull away — hazard thinking starts before the car moves, and a good observer will notice if yours does too
- Keep the sequence spinning continuously — silence mid-commentary is what draws attention, not the occasional imperfect phrase
- Use the voice recorder method on a familiar 10-minute route before attempting complex environments — build it in stages, not all at once
- Ask your observer for single-element feedback per session — targeted review compounds faster than a full debrief every time
P.S. — If your first recorded commentary sounds like a geography field trip narration, that’s perfectly normal. Everyone starts there. Keep it going, keep the pace steady, and it will come.
