The difference between a safe driver and a reactive one is time. Safe drivers buy themselves time by looking further ahead and interpreting what they see. Reactive drivers are always catching up to events that have already happened. DVSA Skill 10 — anticipation and planning — is about training yourself to see hazards as they form, not as they arrive at your front bumper.
What Examiners Look For
Anticipation is one of the harder skills to assess because much of it is invisible — it shows up in what you do not have to do. A well-anticipated junction approach looks smooth and unhurried. A poorly anticipated one involves sudden braking, last-minute steering corrections, and a mildly sweating examiner.
Examiners look for your speed to be appropriate for the conditions well before a hazard — not right as you reach it. If you are braking hard at a give way line, you did not anticipate the junction early enough. If you have already reduced your speed gently and are rolling in under control, that is what the examiner wants to see.
They also look at how you respond to pedestrians and cyclists. A pedestrian stepping off a kerb 50 metres ahead should cause you to cover the brake and gently reduce speed. Not notice them at all, then brake sharply when they step out, is a serious fault — or worse.
Smooth progression matters too. Anticipation removes the need for harsh acceleration and braking. An examiner watching a learner who accelerates into a gap and then brakes hard for the next hazard can see immediately that they are not reading the road ahead. Fluency in this skill is one of the clearest signs of a ready driver.
The 5 DVSA Levels for Anticipation and Planning
Level 1: Introduced
You understand the concept of looking ahead and can identify obvious hazards when pointed out. Your driving is largely reactive — you respond to things as they appear rather than planning ahead.
Level 2: Helped
With your instructor identifying hazards verbally, you begin to respond earlier. You can act on information once it is highlighted, but you are not yet scanning for it independently.
Level 3: Prompted
You spot most hazards on familiar roads but may miss them on new routes or when managing other demands — busy junctions, complex roundabouts. Occasional prompts are still needed.
Level 4: Independent
You scan consistently and respond to hazards before they develop. Your speed is usually appropriate on approach and your braking is smooth. You manage most situations without assistance.
Level 5: Reflection
Test-ready standard. Anticipation is integrated into your driving at all times. You can narrate hazards you have spotted, explain why you adjusted your speed or position, and identify what you would do if a situation developed unexpectedly. Your driving is calm and predictable.
The Technique: Looking Further and Reading More
The 12-Second Rule
Most learners look just ahead of the bonnet — typically 2 to 3 seconds of travel. The target is 12 seconds, which at 30mph is approximately 160 metres or 4 to 5 car lengths. At 60mph, 12 seconds is nearly 320 metres.
The practical implication is simple: on a straight road, you should be thinking about a junction or parked vehicle long before it feels urgent. This gives you time to check mirrors, decide on a signal, adjust position, and reduce speed in a single smooth sequence rather than a scramble.
Static Hazards
Static hazards do not move, but they demand a change in your speed or position. Common examples include:
- Parked vehicles — a line of parked cars may hide a pedestrian about to step out or a driver about to open a door
- Junctions — even a give way line requires planning; what can you see? Is anything emerging?
- Bends and crests — you cannot see what is on the other side; your speed must allow you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear
- Narrow sections — gaps between parked vehicles or roadworks often require you to give way
Dynamic Hazards
Dynamic hazards are moving and can change quickly. They require faster decisions and closer monitoring:
- Pedestrians near the kerb — are they about to step out? Eye contact is useful; looking at their feet tells you if they are moving
- Cyclists — their line can vary; give them space and do not assume they will hold a straight course
- Vehicles emerging from side roads — have they seen you? Slow enough that you could stop if they pull out
- Children near schools or parks — children are unpredictable; treat any area near schools as a high-hazard zone
The Escape Route
Good anticipation means never putting yourself in a position with nowhere to go. Always keep enough gap ahead that you could stop or swerve. On a motorway, the two-second rule (doubling in wet conditions) preserves your escape route. In town, a full car length to the vehicle ahead keeps your options open.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Why It Happens | The Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Following too close | New drivers feel safer close to the vehicle ahead | Increase gap to 2 seconds minimum; the gap is your reaction time |
| Only watching the vehicle directly ahead | Tunnel vision, especially in heavy traffic | Consciously lift your gaze to the vehicle two ahead, or to the horizon on open roads |
| Braking late at junctions | Noticing the junction but not responding until close | Identify the junction the moment you can see it and begin gentle deceleration immediately |
| Ignoring pedestrians until they step out | Focusing on vehicle traffic only | Scan pavements and islands as well as the carriageway |
| Not covering the brake near hazards | Overconfidence or complacency | ”Covering the brake” (foot hovering, not pressing) should be automatic near parked vehicles and junctions |
Practice Tips
Use commentary driving. Narrate every hazard you see and what you plan to do about it. “Junction ahead — I can see a car waiting, I’ll check my mirror and reduce speed.” This forces your eyes further ahead and trains the habit of identifying hazards before they become urgent.
Drive unfamiliar routes. Familiar roads breed complacency — you know the junctions and stop looking properly. New routes force genuine scanning and keep anticipation sharp.
Watch for patterns in where you brake late. If you consistently brake hard at a certain type of junction or on uphill crests, it is a sign your eyes are not finding those hazards early enough. Target those scenarios in practice.
Set a mental “hazard clock.” Every 12 seconds, ask yourself: “What is the next hazard?” If you cannot answer, your eyes are not far enough ahead.
Review dashcam footage. Watching back a lesson in full speed shows you exactly how far ahead you were looking and whether your speed responses matched the hazards visible in the video. Most learners find this immediately revealing.
Track Your Progress
Anticipation is a skill that develops gradually across many hours of driving. The improvement is real but hard to measure without a record. Logging the specific hazards you missed or spotted late in each lesson — pedestrians, junctions, crests — turns vague “drive more” advice into a clear development curve.
MyDriveSchool lets instructors record anticipation faults by hazard type after each lesson, making it easy to see whether you are improving at static hazards but still struggling with dynamic ones, so practice stays targeted.
Related Skills
- Use of Speed (Skill 11) — anticipation directly determines whether your speed is appropriate; the two skills are inseparable
- Mirrors & the MSM Routine (Skill 8) — looking ahead is only useful if you also know what is behind you when you need to act
- Observation & Signalling Skills — browse all skills in this category