Scanning ahead makes a better driver. It means looking down the road and around using mirrors.

The driver must develop efficient visual search patterns under all conditions that include but are not limited to:

• Gather information from their intended path of travel, i.e. the front of the vehicle.
• Gather information from the sides and behind the vehicle.
• Identify any hazards that require the driver to adjust the speed or position of the car promptly.

The same idea of distinguishing hazards applies regardless of road or weather conditions.

However, the driver must take special care when scanning the road and its surroundings in severe weather conditions. In heavy rain or fog, the driver may be unable to spot other road users.

In cases where they cannot scan the road effectively, the driver must slow down and increase their following distances to spot hazards early on.