Here's an old list of useful phrases from an ex copper known on various forums as Vonhosen. Pretty solid sort of chap. There might be some conflicts these days - the use of contact position during overtaking for example (70). Bonus points for correctly identifying bovine and equine (45) defecation! The original had equestrian defecation, which is a different thing altogether.......
Not sure if they're still available, but Mark Kendrick did a series of DVDs - one was on commentary and had three flavours - typical IAM, Plod and Mark's style.
Chris Gilbert does a DVD too.
Von wrote:Commentary Suggestions
Set the scene you are driving in before you start your commentary, i.e.
"Mirror, I am on a single carriageway road, one lane in each direction divided by hazard lines, the surface is dry level and good, subject to the national speed limit……."
General Phrases
(Information Phase)
1, "Lifting vision" "In the distance I can see…."
2, “Loss of vision, mirror, loss of speed."
3, “Brake lights cascading down the line.”
4, "Approaching a roundabout/give way, planning to stop looking to go, my first point of danger is from the right." “My gap is…”
5, "Entering the national speed limit, three mirror safety check."
6, "Junction left/right, looking for the fingerboard to locate the junction."
7, "Junction marker, I can't see the junction, so they can't see me."
8, “One threatening on the left/right, mirror, off the drive covering the brake.”
9, "One active on the nearside/offside."
10, “One in the junction on the left/right, mirror, he’s looking in my direction/he’s got brakelights on, I’m happy with that.”
11, “Looking for the lane of least resistance.” (Approaching a roundabout, traffic lights etc.)
12, “Change of road surface, texture and colour.”
13, “Positioning for vision.”
14, "Single track road, half distance stopping rule applies."
15, "The car in front is committed by speed/position."
16, “Using the vehicle in front as a shield.” (Very narrow road with one in front)
17, "Using the vehicle in front as my pathfinder."
18, “Standing water, firming up my grip on the wheel.”
19, “Mindful of the strobing effect of the sun through the trees.”
20, "Dual Carriageway, potentially the most dangerous type of road, motorway speeds but without the regulations. Pedestrians, unmarked junctions & potentially cross flow traffic."
(Position Phase)
21, "Taking a 50/50 position to split the danger."
22, “Sacrificing position for safety.”
(Speed Phase)
23, "Gentle braking, firmer braking, gently off brakes, gear for the speed is."
24, “Using acceleration sense to match my speed with the one in front.”
25, "Covering the brake for danger, but not braking yet."
26, “ Speed is good, the limit point is running/matched ”
27, “Selecting a low gear and using engine compression to main a steady speed.” (Downhill)
28, “Slow on the road, slow it will be.”
(Gear Phase)
29, “Matching speed with the one in front, the gear for the speed is……” (Slowing)
30, "35/70 miles per hour, the gear for the speed is….." (Slowing)
31, "Taking a gear with the steering set."
32, “40 MPH speed limit, selecting a 4th gear for passenger comfort and mechanical sympathy.”
(Acceleration Phase)
33, "Approaching the nationals, taking a gear to maximise acceleration."
34, "Firming up the drive."
Observation links
35, "Entering a built up area, expecting an increase in pedestrian and vehicular traffic, I will mention junctions and driveways as they affect me/become active."
36, “Buildings/Church (or Ecclesiastical!) building in the distance, expecting a change of speed limit.”
37, "Skid marks on the road tells a story."
38, "Wide tyre (or tandem axle) marks on the road tells me that large vehicles use this road."
39, “Scarred/uneven road surface, will cause problems with braking and steering, exercising restraint.”
40, "Mud on the road tells me that agricultural vehicles use this road and may be ahead."
41, “Hay on the road, looking for the tractor.”
42, “Roadwork’s, looking for ATS, stationary traffic and highway engineers!”
43, “The bins are out, looking for the cleansing technicians!”
44, “Footpath, looking out for ramblers.”
45, “Equine/bovine defecation, looking for horses/cows.” etc.
46, “Cyclist, they often go in groups, looking for more.”
47, “Chewed verges indicates that large vehicles use this road.”
48, "Going under/over a bridge, looking for of Microclimates and crosswinds."
49, “Bus stop tells me we are on a bus route.”
50, “Stationary bus, looking underneath for feet and people getting on and off.”
51, “The car in front is slowing he may be looking for somewhere to turn off.”
52, “Industrial buildings, it could be where the heavy is going.”
53, “Looking for gaps in the hedges, the tractor may turn into a field.”
Bends
(Information Phase)
54, "Right/left bend, mirror position, using lateral vision I can see…the limit point is…."
55, “The one towards is quite slow, suggesting the bend is tight.”
56, “The one towards is quick, suggesting the bend is not too severe.”
57, “Looking at the hedgerow tells me the general angle of the bend.”
58, “Lamp posts in the distance are going off to the left/right.”
59, "Reading the limit point beyond the lead/subject vehicle."
60, “Telegraph poles give me an idea where the road goes, but I can’t rely on them as they may cut across fields.”
61, “The one in front is braking around the corner, why?” (obstruction?)
62, “Double bend, first to the left/right, expecting the second feature to be tighter.” (It normally is!)
(Position Phase)
63, “Taking a weaker line for safety.” (Point of potential danger)
64, "There is nothing towards, mirror, I can straighten this one."
(Speed Phase)
65, “The limit point is running.”
(Acceleration Phase)
66, “Running with the limit point, not chasing it until it races away.”
67, "Balancing the car through the bend by applying constant drive."
68, "The limit point is static, it’s starting to run, now matching my speed with the limit point by maintaining the drive."
69, "Allowing the car to settle, setting the steering, now firming up the drive." (High speed)
Overtaking
70, "It looks like the overtake might be on, moving into a contact position."
71, "The overtake is not on, moving back into a following position."
72, "Not committing the overtake until I can see both sides of the road."
73, "My next point of contact is."
74, "Looking for my stop over gap."
75, “My stop over gap is.”
76, "I will monitor the stop over gap."
77, "Junction marker, option for the car in front/Subject, dropping back to a follow position."
78, "Solid white line not in my favour, it may end on the exit of this bend" or "brow of this hill." (Where you can OT)
79, “Hazard lines are changing to normal lane markings, there may be a chance for an overtake.”
80, “Making sure the one in front completes the overtake before committing myself.”
81,“I’m not happy with the one in front, exercising restraint and moving back into a following position.”
Motorways
82, "Onto the Motorway, Motorway regulations apply, hard shoulders, junctions normally posted 1 mile in advance."
83, "One mile exit board, looking for the half mile marker/ three two ones."
84, "Half mile marker, my gap is…." "I have a sterile area……."
85, “Matching my speed with the ones on the Motorway, mirror, over the shoulder check, claiming lane one, two.” etc.
86, “There’s a sterile area to the nearside of the one in front, moving into contact to encourage them over.”
87, “What goes off comes back on.” (Junction)