Once the journey is under way, the driver’s main source of information is the road itself. Long-range observation is looking well ahead: the signs, the lane markings, the shape of the junction, the traffic slowing half a mile away.
It gathers information early, while there is still time to use it.
Why It Matters
An instruction that arrives late leaves no choices. A driver who read the signs a quarter of a mile back already knows which lane is needed and can move into it calmly.
Information gathered early turns a manoeuvre into a decision rather than a reaction.
In Practice
Read the road, the signs and the markings well before the junction instead of waiting for the next instruction.
Use the next-turn information as well as the current one, so you know what follows the manoeuvre you are making.
Watch what traffic is doing in the distance: brake lights, lane changes and queues are visible long before a device reports them.
Treat live traffic information as advice to be weighed rather than an instruction to be obeyed.