BUICK CENTURY 1993 Owners Manual

KEEP
RIGHT LEFT
OR
THROUGH RIGHT
TURN
ONLY
RECTANGULAR (square or oblong) signs show speed
limits, parking regulations, give directions,
and such
information as distances
to cities.
Symbols on Road Signs
There are many international road signs in use today.
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NO U’ NO NO
TURN PARKTNG BICYCLES
The basic message of many of these signs is in pictures
or graphic symbols.
A picture within a circle with a
diagonal line across it shows what not to do.
Traffic Lights
We’re all familiar with traffic rights or stop lights. Often
green arrows are being used in the lights for improved
traffic control. On some multilane roads, green arrows
light up, indicating that traffic in one or more lanes can
move or make a turn. Green arrows don’t mean “go no
matter what? You’ll still need to proceed with caution,
yielding the right of way to pedestrians and sometimes to
other vehicles.
Some traffic lights also use red
arrows to signify that you I
must stop before turning on red.
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x
I I
REVERSIBLE LANE ON MULTILANE ROADWAY
Many city roads and expressways, and even bridges, use
reversible-lane traffic control during rush hours. A red
X
light above a lane means no driving in that lane at that
time. A green arrow means you may drive in that lane.
Look for the signs posted to warn drivers what hours and
days these systems are in effect.
Pavement Markings
NO PASSING ZONE
Pavement markings add to traffic signs and signals. They
give information to drivers without taking attention from
the roadway. A solid yellow line on your side
of the road
or lane means “Don’t Cross:’
Your Own Signals
Drivers signal to others, too. It’s not only more polite, it’s
safer to let other drivers know what you are doing. And
in some places the law requires driver signals.
Turn and lane change signals. Always signal when you
plan to turn or change lanes.
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If necessary, you can use hand signals out the window:
Left arm straight out for a left turn, down for slow or
about-to-stop, and up
for a right turn.
Slowing down. If time allows, tap the brake pedal once
or twice in advance of slowing
or stopping. This warns
the driver behind you.
Disabled. Your four-way flashers signal that your vehicle
is disabled or is a hazard.
See “Hazard Warning
Flashers’’ in the Index.
Traffic Officer
The traffic police officer is also a source of important
information. The officer’s signals govern, no matter what
the traffic lights or other signs say.
The next section discusses some
of the road conditions
you may encounter.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please
start with a very important sakty device in your Buick:
Buckle up.
(See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything:’
On city streets, rural roads, or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected:’ Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Expect children to dash out from behind parked cars,
often followed by other children. Expect occupants in
parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for movement
in parked cars-someone may be about to open
a door.
Expect other drivers to run stop signs when you are on a
through street. Be ready to brake
if necessary as you go
through intersections. You may not have to use the brake,
but if you do, you will be ready.
If you’re driving through a shopping center parking lot
where there are well-marked lanes, directional mows,
and designated parking areas, expect some drivers to
ignore
all these markings and dash straight toward one
part of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for them. In general,
you must give way to pedestrians even if you
know you
have the right of way.
Rear-end collisions
are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It’s the best defensive driving maneuver, in both
city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle
in front of 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
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early on Sunday morning. In fact, GM Research studies
show that the most and the least dangerous times for
driving, every week, Ml 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: 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
The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume
drinking.
the alcohol.
Judgment
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. 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.
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According to the American Medical Association, a
18O-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% 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
DRINKING THAT WILL
RESULT IN A BAC OF .05%
IN THE TIME SHOWN
OF DRINKS
NUMBER (as in picture) 4
I HOURS
IFglT 1 &
100 120 140 160 1ao 200 220 240
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS
be close to 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food
just
before or during drinking will have a slightly lower
BAC level.
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.
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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 t\
here’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.
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.
/i CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, and judgment
will
be affected by even a small amou-nt 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
I you’re with a group, designate a driver who
will not drink.
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You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to 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.
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 34 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
% of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph
(100 ludh) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of
distance
in an emergency, so keeping enough space
between your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surf$ce of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition 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.
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.
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Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting your left foot rest
lightly
on the brake pedal while driving.
“Riding” your brakes can cause them to
overheat to the pointthat they won’t work
well. Mu might not be able to stop your
vehicle In tlme to avoid an accident. If you
6crlde” your brakes, they will get 80 hot they
will require a lot of pedal force to slow you
down. Avold “ridlng” the hralaas.
faster. vou would need cos
replacement
much sooner
also reduces fuel economy.
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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.
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.
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Your Buick has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
I A CAUTION:
The brake wear wamlng sound means that
sooner or later pur brakes won't work well.
That could lead to an accident. When you hear
the brake wear warning sound, have your
vehlcle serviced.
I
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
worn and new pads
are needed. The sound may come squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
and
go or be heard all the time your vehicle is moving applied. This do\
es not mean something is wrong with
(except when you are pushing on the brake pedal firmly). your brakes.
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