CHEVROLET CAMARO 1993 Owners Manual

?edestrians can be careless. Watch for
hem.
In general, you must give way to
Jedestrians even if you know you have
.he right of way.
Xear-end collisions are about the most
xeventable
of accidents. Yet they are
:ommon.
Allow enough following
listance.
It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver,
in both city and rural driving.
You never know when the vehicle
in front
3f you is going to brake or turn suddenly. Here’s
a final bit of
information about
defensive driving. The most dangerous
time for driving
in the U.S. is very early
on Sunday morning.
In fact, GM
Research studies show that the most and
the least dangerous times for driving,
every week, fall on the same day. That
day
is Sunday. The most dangerous time
is Sunday from
3 a.m. to 4 a.m. The safest
time is Sunday from
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Driving the same distance on a Sunday at
3 a.m. isn’t just a little more dangerous
than
it is at 10 a.m. It‘s about 134 times
more dangerous!
That leads to the next section.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking
and driving is a national tragedy. It’s the
number one contributor to the highway
death toll, claiming thousands
of victims
every year. Alcohol takes away three
things that anyone needs to drive
a
vehicle:
0 Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol
-
a driver, a passenger or someone else,
such as a pedestrian, had been drinking.
ProCarManuals.com

Your Driving and the Road
... 138
In most cases, these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking and
driving. Over
25,000 motor
vehicle-related deaths occur each year
because
of alcohol, and thousands of
people are injured.
Just how much alcohol is too much if a
person plans to drive? Ideally, no one
should drink alcohol and then drive.
But
if one does, then what’s “too much”? It
can be a lot less than many might think.
Although it depends on each person and
situation, here is some general
information on the problem. The
Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of
someone who
is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is
in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount
of food that is consumed
before and during drinking.
The length of time
it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol. According to the American Medical
Association,
a 180-pound
(82 kg) person
who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml)
bottles of beer in an hour will end up with
a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person
would reach the same BAC by drinking
three 4-ounce
(120 ml) glasses of wine or
three mixed drinks
if each had 1-1/2
ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey,
gin or vodka.
It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For
example,
if the same person drank three
double martinis
(3 ounces or 90 ml of
liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would
be close to 0.12 percent, A
person who consumes food just before or
during
drinking will have a slightly lower
BAC level.
ProCarManuals.com

DRlNKlNa THAT Wlll
RESULT IN A BAC OF .O6%
IN THE TIME SHOWN
I
3 HOURS
T
1 ... 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS
The law in most U.S. states sets the legal
limit at a BAC of 0.10 percent. In Canada
the
limit is 0.08 percent, and in some
other countries it’s lower than
that. The
BAC
will be over 0.10 percent after three
to six drinks
(in one hour). Of course, as
we’ve seen,
it depends on how much
alcohol is
in the drinks, and how quickly
the person drinks them. But
it’s very important
to keep in mind
that the ability to drive
is affected well
below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research
shows that the driving skills of many
people are impaired at a BAC
approaching
0.05 percent, and that the
effects are worse at night.
All drivers are
impaired at BAC levels above
0.05
percent. Statistics show that the chance of
being
in an accident increases sharply for
drivers who have a BAC
of 0.05 percent
or above.
A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent (three beers in one hour for a
180-pound or
82 kg person) has doubled
his
or her chance of having an accident.
At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the
chance of that driver having an accident is
six times greater; at a level of 0.15
percent, the chances are twenty-five times
greater! And, the body takes about an
hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one
drink.
No amount of coffee or number of
cold showers
will speed that up.
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts
into the street?
A person with a higher
BAC might not be able to react quickly
enough to avoid the collision.
ProCarManuals.com

Your Driving and the Road
I
,
I
... 140
There’s something else about drinking
and driving that many people don’t know.
Medical research shows that alcohol
in a
person’s system can make crash injuries
worse. That’s especially true for brain,
spinal cord and heart injuries. That means
that
if anyone who has been drinking -
driver or passenger - is in a crash, the
chance
of being killed or permanently
disabled
is higher than if that person had
not been drinking. And we’ve already
seen that the chance of a crash itself
is
higher for drinking drivers.
IU I I .
urrnKing ana men awing IS
very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, and judgment
will be
affected by even a small amount of
alcohol. You could have a serious
- or even fatal - accident if you
drive after drinking. Please don’t
drink
and drive or ride with a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home
in a cab; or if you’re with a group,
designate
a driver who will not
drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your
vehicle
go where you want it lo go. They
are the brakes,
the steering and the
accelerator. All three systems have to do
their work
at the places where the tires
meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on
snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more of those
control systems
than the tires and road
can provide. That means you can lose
control
of your vehicle.
ProCarManuals.com

Braking
Braking action involves perception time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s
perception time.
Then you have to bring up your foot and
do
it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a
second. But that’s only an average.
It
might be less with one driver and as long
as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and eyesight all
play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration.
But even in 3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph ( 100 km/h)
travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot
of distance in an emergency, so keeping :nough
space between your vehicle and
Dthers is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances
vary greatly
with the surface of the road
:whether it’s pavement or gravel); the
;ondition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with care,
Some, however, overwork the braking system
with poor driving habits.
B Avoid needless heavy braking. Some
people drive
in spurts - heavy
acceleration followed by heavy
braking
- rather than keeping pace
with traffic. This is a mistake. Your
brakes may not have time
to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will
wear out much faster
if you do a lot of
heavy braking.
Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting your
left foot rest lightly on the brake pedal
while driving.
ProCarManuals.com

Your Driving and the Road
I
CAUTION: - A 66. nlulllg YVUl UlaKGS Cdn Cause
them to overheat to the point
that they won’t work well. You
might
not be able to stop your
vehicle
in time to avoid an accident.
If you “ride” your brakes, they
will
get so hot they will require a lot of
pedal force to slow you down.
Avoid “riding” the brakes. Klamg-.
me DraaKes wears
tnern 01
lnuch faster. You would need costly
brake replacement much sooner
than normal, and
it also reduces fuel
economy.
If you keep pace
with the traffic and
allow realistic following distances, you
will eliminate a lot of unnecessary
braking. That means better braking and
longer brake life.
I
If your engine ever stops while you’re
driving, brake normally
but don’t
pump your brakes. If you do,
the
pedal may get harder to push down. If
your engine stops, you
will still have
some power brake assist.
But you will
use it when you brake. Once the
power assist is used up, it may take
longer to stop and the brake pedal
will
be harder to push.
ProCarManuals.com

Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Chevrolet has an advanced
electronic
braking system that will help
prevent skidding.
I
This light on the instrument panel will go
on when you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle,
you may
hear a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves
a little while this is
going
on. This is the ABS system testing
itself. If you have your foot
on the brake
pedal, this check won't happen until the
vehicle goes about
3 mph (5 km/h) or
until you take your foot off the brake
pedal. If
there's
a problem with the anti-lock
brake system. the
ABS INOP warning
light will stay on
or flash.
See "Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning
Light" in the Index.
143.m-
ProCarManuals.com

Your Driving and the Road
I
Here's how anti-lock works. Let's say the
road is wet. You're driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out
in front of
you.
You slam on
the brakes. Here's what
happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are
slowing down. The computer separately
works the brakes at each front wheel and
at the rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change
the
brake pressure faster than any driver
could. The computer is programmed
to
make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
1
You can steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As you brake, your conlputer keeps
receiving updates
on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
I CAUTION;
A
Anti-lock doesn't change the
time
you need to get your foot
up
to the brake pedal. If you get too
close
to the vehicle in front of you,
1 you won't have time to apply your
brakes
if that vehicle suddenly
slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead
to stop, even
though
you have anti-lock brakes.
I'o Use Anti-Lock:
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and
let anti-lock work
for you. When the
ABS is active, the
LOW TRAC light comes on to indicate
low traction conditions. Adjust your
driving accordingly. The light will
stay on for about four seconds after
the
ABS stops being active.
ProCarManuals.com

Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Unless you have the four-wheel disc
brake option, your Chevrolet has front
disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads are
worn and new pads are needed. The
sound may come and go or be heard all
the time your vehicle is moving (except
when you are pushing on the brake peda
firmly). 1 The brake wear warning sound
- means that sooner or later your
brakes won’t work well. That could
lead to an accident. When you hear
the brake wear warning sound, have
your vehicle serviced.
I
I
.1 LullllllullIg 1u UIIVt: Wllll WUIII-UU
brake pads could result in rnctl\~
brake repair. Some driving conditions
or climates may
cause a brake squeal when the brakes are
first applied or lightly applied. This does
not mean something
is wrong with your
brakes.
Rear Drum Brakes
If you have rear drum brakes, they don’t
have wear indicators,
but if you ever hear
a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected.
Also, the rear
brake drums should be removed and
inspected each time the tires are removed
for rotation or changing. When you have
the front brakes replaced, have the rear
brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced
as complete axle sets.
ProCarManuals.com

Your Driving and the Road
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does
not return to normal height, or if there is a
rapid increase
in pedal travel. This could
be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake
stop, your disc brakes adjust for wear. If
you rarely make a moderate or heavier
stop, then your brakes might not adjust
correctly. If you drive in that way, then
-
very carefully - make a few moderate
brake stops about every
1000 miles
(1 600 km), so your brakes will adjust
properly. If
your brake pedal goes down farther
than normal, your rear drum brakes may
need adjustment. Adjust them by backing up and firmly applying the brakes a few
times.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when
you need to. With anti-lock, you can steer
and brake at the same time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but
it will take
much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents
mentioned on the news happen on curves.
Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us is subject to the same laws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction of
ProCarManuals.com