Take information
Build an accurate, constantly updated picture from the road ahead, the sides, mirrors, blind areas, signs, markings, road surface, weather and the behaviour of other road users.
Drive With Andy · Roadcraft explained
The Information phase of IPSGA How advanced drivers read the road
Information is the thread running through every part of the Roadcraft System of Car Control. It is how a driver notices what matters, anticipates what may happen next, builds a safe plan and communicates clearly with everyone else sharing the road.
- Take · Use · Give
- Observation links
- Anticipation and planning
- Signals and vehicle language
- Lincolnshire road examples
The planned system of driving
Information is not simply the first box to tick
IPSGA stands for Information, Position, Speed, Gear and Acceleration. Together, these elements provide a methodical way to approach and negotiate anything that may require a change of speed, position or direction.
I
Information
continuous throughout
continuous throughout
P
Position
S
Speed
G
Gear
A
Acceleration
The important distinction is that Information does not end when Position begins. It surrounds and feeds every other part of the system. A driver may have selected a position and begun reducing speed, but a newly visible pedestrian, an opening car door or a change in the traffic lights may require the plan to be revised immediately.
Roadcraft-style information processing is commonly described as Take, Use and Give. All three can be happening within the same few seconds:
Use information
Decide what the clues mean. Anticipate likely developments, prioritise the risks, choose a safe plan and retain a sensible contingency.
Give information
Help others understand your intentions through clear signals, road position, speed, brake lights and other lawful communication.
The aim is not to collect every visible detail. It is to identify the information that may affect safety, stability, legality, progress or the needs of another road user—and then do something useful with it.
Roadcraft is produced by the Police Foundation and TSO. You can read more about the handbook on the Police Foundation’s Roadcraft page.
Take information
Build a moving, all-round picture
Good observation is active rather than passive. Looking through the windscreen is not enough; the advanced driver deliberately searches for clues, checks whether they are relevant and keeps the picture updated.
A useful scan moves between distance, developing hazards, the immediate road surface and the areas behind and beside the vehicle. Avoid staring at one object for too long. A fixation on the vehicle directly ahead can hide the wider traffic pattern, while a fixation on a distant bend can allow a nearer pedestrian or surface hazard to be missed.
Far distanceLook where the journey is going
Search towards the furthest clear view: the next bend, skyline, traffic flow, signs, road layout and anything that hints at what lies beyond the current scene. Earlier information creates time.
Middle distanceTrack what is developing
Watch junctions, cyclists, pedestrians, brake lights, vehicle spacing, parked cars, crossings and the way the road is narrowing or opening. This is often where a plan begins to form.
Near distanceProtect the immediate space
Check the road surface, lane markings, kerbs, debris, standing water and the space around vulnerable road users. Near information matters, but it should not pull the eyes down for too long.
Behind and besideKnow the full traffic picture
Use mirrors in good time before any change of speed or direction and continue to monitor them through the system. Use an appropriate blind-spot or shoulder check where mirrors cannot provide the full answer.
Observation links: small clues that point to a bigger picture
Advanced driving becomes especially powerful when separate clues are linked together. On Lincolnshire roads, the first warning of a hazard may be indirect:
Mud at a gateway
Fresh mud, tyre tracks or a damaged verge may suggest farm traffic entering or leaving ahead—and a reduced-grip surface.
Bins at the kerb
Collection day may mean a refuse vehicle, workers stepping into the road and residents moving bins between parked vehicles.
A church spire
A village may bring a lower limit, junctions, pedestrians, parked cars, a school, a crossing or people attending an event.
A gap in a hedge
A break in the boundary, a change in road markings or a line of telegraph poles may reveal a concealed side road or entrance.
Vehicle body language
Front wheels beginning to turn, a driver’s head movement or brake lights releasing may be more useful than an indicator alone.
Animals and riders
Warning signs, manure, hoof marks or a nearby stable can prompt an earlier reduction in speed and a quieter, wider approach.
Use information
Turn observation into anticipation and a plan
Observation only becomes valuable when it changes the quality of the decision. The driver must interpret the scene, decide which hazards matter most and choose an action early enough to remain smooth and unhurried.
A useful way to think about this is Observation, Anticipation and Planning:
Observation
What facts and clues are available now? What is changing? What is behind, beside and ahead?
Anticipation
What is likely to happen next? What less-likely event would have serious consequences if it occurred?
Planning
What position, speed, gear and space will keep the situation safe while preserving useful options?
Prioritise rather than react to everything equally
A pedestrian near the kerb, an oncoming heavy vehicle and a following car may all be relevant, but not necessarily to the same degree or at the same moment. Consider time, distance, likelihood and potential consequence. The closest object is not automatically the greatest risk.
Good planning also creates space. A larger following distance may improve the view and reduce pressure. An early lift from the accelerator may remove the need for firm braking. A modest change of position may help you see and be seen—provided safety margins are protected.
Worked example: a bend in the Lincolnshire Wolds
You are approaching a left-hand bend. There is mud near a field entrance, the roof of a tractor is visible above the hedge, a cyclist is ahead and an oncoming car has just appeared.
Take
Recognise the closing view, possible farm movement, reduced grip, cyclist, oncoming traffic and the following vehicle in your mirrors.
Use
Anticipate that the tractor may emerge or occupy extra road space, the cyclist may move around the mud and the bend may tighten.
Plan
Create space, reduce speed early, choose a safe position, retain the ability to stop within the visible distance and abandon any thought of overtaking.
Keep the plan flexible
IPSGA is a decision-making framework, not a rigid script. New information may require you to return to an earlier element. If a pedestrian steps towards the road after you have selected a gear, the correct response is not to continue merely because “Gear” has already been completed. Reassess the information, alter the speed or position and rebuild the plan.
Give information
Make your intentions clear without creating confusion
Giving information is broader than operating the indicator stalk. Other road users read your speed, road position, brake lights, direction of travel and timing—often before they notice a formal signal.
The best communication is early enough to be useful, clear enough to be understood and timed so that it cannot reasonably be mistaken for something else.
Let the vehicle support the message
A settled position for a turn, lane change or overtake can reinforce the intended movement. Avoid drifting or last-second changes that make your plan uncertain.
Communicate the developing situation
An early, progressive reduction in speed gives following traffic time to respond. A sudden brake application may be necessary in an emergency, but it should not be the normal way a developing hazard is announced.
Signal intention—not history
Check the mirrors first, signal in good time, make sure the timing is not misleading and cancel the signal afterwards. An indicator does not create priority or prove that a manoeuvre is safe.
Use lights and horn lawfully
A headlamp flash or horn should be used to make others aware of your presence, not to issue instructions, show annoyance or invite someone into a space you cannot guarantee is safe.
Information in real situations
What should the driver be looking for?
The exact information changes with each hazard, but the process remains consistent: take a wide picture, interpret the developing risk, communicate where useful and revise the plan as the scene changes.
Bends and crests
Read the limit of the visible road, road-edge lines, hedges, telegraph poles, warning signs, surface condition and oncoming traffic. Ask whether the view is opening or closing and whether you can stop safely within the distance visible on your own side.
Junctions and roundabouts
Look beyond the first vehicle. Note lane markings, wheel position, eye contact, approach speed, pedestrians, cyclists, exits, obscured entrances and traffic that may be hidden by larger vehicles. Indicators are evidence, not a guarantee.
Overtaking
Build the full picture before committing: the road ahead, side roads, entrances, surface, speed differential, oncoming traffic, following traffic and the behaviour of the vehicle to be passed. Keep asking whether the opportunity remains safe.
Pedestrians, cyclists and horses
Allow for sudden movement, reduced stability, noise sensitivity and the possibility that a person has not seen or heard you. Search for companions, dogs, children, potholes or obstructions that may change their line.
Dual carriageways and motorways
Scan well beyond the vehicle ahead for brake lights and changing traffic flow. Monitor joining traffic, vehicles in blind areas, lane discipline, overhead signs, weather and a safe escape route before changing lanes.
Darkness, rain and winter roads
Reduce the amount of information you demand from limited visibility. Use reflections, silhouettes and surface shine carefully; allow for dazzle, standing water, ice in shaded areas and vulnerable road users who may be difficult to see.
A safe self-coaching exercise
On a familiar route, practise one information skill at a time. Trying to comment on everything at once can become distracting, so keep each exercise short and stop if it affects the drive.
Pass 1 · Mirrors
Notice when the traffic picture behind changes and check before every planned change of speed or direction.
Pass 2 · Far, middle, near
Deliberately move the scan through the whole scene without allowing the eyes to remain fixed on one object.
Pass 3 · Observation links
Name one clue and what it may predict: “bins out—possible refuse vehicle and workers ahead.”
Pass 4 · Plan language
Use “because” and “therefore”: “The view is closing because of the hedge, therefore I am reducing speed early.”
Further viewing
Reg Local videos on Information and IPSGA
Reg Local’s practical demonstrations are useful alongside Roadcraft, observed drives and reflective practice. These links open on YouTube.
All the Detail: System Part 1—The Information Phase
The most directly relevant video for this article, exploring the continuous Information process in more depth.
Watch on YouTubeObservation and Planning
A practical look at gathering useful information, looking further ahead and converting observations into a driving plan.
Watch on YouTubeSignalling
Relevant to the “Give” part of Information: signal timing, usefulness and avoiding messages that may confuse other road users.
Watch on YouTubeThe System of Car Control
A broader introduction to IPSGA and how the parts of the system work together during an advanced drive.
Watch on YouTubeExplore the Reg Local advanced-driving playlist or visit the Reg Local YouTube channel.
The information habit
Advanced driving begins before the hazard arrives
The Information process is what turns IPSGA from a memorised sequence into a living system. By taking a fuller picture, using clues intelligently and giving clear information to others, the driver replaces rushed reactions with earlier, calmer decisions.
That matters on every kind of Lincolnshire road: a narrow lane near Brookenby, a bend between Market Rasen and Louth, a busy roundabout in Lincoln or faster traffic on the A15 and A46. The roads may be different, but the principle is the same—keep looking, keep thinking and keep the plan flexible.
Five points to remember
- Information runs continuously through Position, Speed, Gear and Acceleration.
- Take information from the whole scene, not only the vehicle or hazard directly ahead.
- Use observation links to anticipate what may be present before it becomes obvious.
- Give information through clear signals, road position, speed and lawful presence warnings.
- When the information changes, change the plan—safety always has priority over routine.
