CADILLAC FLEETWOOD 1993 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine r High Beams
If the vehicle approaching you has its high beams on, signal by flicking
yours to high and then back to low beam. This is the usual signal to lower
the headlight beams.
If the other driver still doesn’t lower the beams,
resist the temptation to put your high beams on. This only
makes two
half-blinded drivers.
- On a freeway, use your high beams only in remote areas where you won’t
impair approaching drivers. In some places, like cities, using high beams
is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a freeway or highway, use low
beams. True, most vehicles now have day-night mirrors that enable the
driver to reduce glare. But outside mirrors are not of this type and high
beams from behind can bother the driver ahead.
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A Few More Night Driving Suggestions
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Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean -- inside and
out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the
inside
of the glass can build up a film caused by dust. Tobacco smoke also
makes inside glass surfaces very filmy and can be a vision hazard
if it’s left
there. -
~ Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils
of your eyes contract repeatedly. You might even want
to keep a cloth and some glass cleaner in your vehicle if you need to clean
your glass frequently.
Remember that your headlights light up far less
of a roadway when you
are in a turn or curve.
-
_- Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly lighted
objects.
Just as your headlights should be checked regularly for proper aim, so
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and aren’t even aware of it.
- should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine DMNG IN THE MN
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road you can’t
stop, accelerate or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as
good as on dry roads. And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll
get even less traction.
It’s always wise to
go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while yc.u II
are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
n
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your windshield wiper
blades are in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road
signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and
even people walking. Road spray can often be worse
for vision than rain,
especially if it comes from a dirty road.
So it is wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape and keep your --
windshield washer tank filled. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or
when strips
of rubber start to separate from the inserts.
188

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through some
car washes can cause problems, too. The water may affect your brakes.
them.
--- Try to avoid puddles. But if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit
-I
I A CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work well in a quick
I stop and may cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
I After driving through a large puddle of water or a car wash,
apply your brake pedal lightly until your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
- Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires
that they can actually ride on the water. This can happen
if the road is wet
enough and you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
_I
You might not be aware of hydroplaning. You could drive along for some
time without realizing your tires aren’t in constant contact with the road.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You could find out the hard way: when you have to slow, turn, move out
to pass
-- or if you get hit by a gust of wind. You could suddenly find
yourself out of control.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your tires haven’t much
tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of
water is standing on the road.
If you can see reflections from trees,
telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s
surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually. happens at higher speeds. There just isn’t a hard
and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when it
is raining, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights -- not just your parlung lights -- to help make
you more visible to others.
0 Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind. You may want to
use your headlights even in daytime if it’s raining hard.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be
especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by
road spray.
If the road spray is so heavy you are actually blinded, drop
back. Don’t pass until conditions improve. Going more slowly is better
-
than having an accident. I
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Use your defogger if it helps.
0 Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in the Index.)
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Y
190 I

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine DRZKNG IN FOG, MISTAND HAZE
Fog can occur with high humidity or heavy frost. It can be so mild that
you can see through it for several hundred feet (meters). Or it might be
so thick that you can see only a few feet (meters) ahead. It may come
suddenly to an otherwise clear road. And it can be a major hazard.
When you drive into a fog patch, your visibility will be reduced quickly.
The biggest dangers are striking the vehicle ahead or being struck by the
one behind.
Try to “read” the fog density down the road. If the vehicle
ahead starts to become less clear or, at night,
if the taillights are harder to
see, the fog is probably thickening. Slow down to give traffic behind you a
chance to slow down. Everybody then has a better chance to avoid hitting
the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only for a few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers); you can’t really tell while you’re in it.
You can only treat the
situation with extreme care.
One common fog condition
-- sometimes called mist or ground fog -- can
happen in weather that seems perfect, especially at night or in the early
morning in valley and low, marshy areas.
You can be suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze that may even coat your windshield.
You can often spot
these fog patches or mist layers with your headlights. But sometimes they
can
be waiting for you as you come over a hill or dip into a shallow valley.
191

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on
them. You’ll want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and
pay attention to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
---
0
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Know the best way to get to where you are going. Try not to drive
around trying to pick
out a familiar street or landmark. Get a city map
and plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as
you would
for a cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You’ll
save time and energy. (See the next section, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal.
A traffic light is there because
the corner is busy enough to need it. When a light turns green, and
just before you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not cleared the intersection or may be running the red light.
193

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Obey all posted speed limits. But remember that they are for ideal
road, weather and visibility conditions.
You may need to drive below
the posted limit in bad weather or when visibility is especially poor.
Pull to the right (with care) and stop clear of intersections when you
see or hear emergency vehicles.
FREEWAYDMNG
r
-,
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways, expressways,
turnpikes, or superhighways) are the safest of all roads. But they have
their own special rules. 1
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep up with traffic and -
keep to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers are d
driving. Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat
the left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
Entering the Freeway
.-
It
At the entrance there is usually a ramp that leads to the freeway. If you
have a clear view of the freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp,
you should begin
to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. If traffic is light, you may have no problem. But
if it is -
heavy, find a gap as you move along the entering lane and time your
approach. Try to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed. u
194

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine r
Switch on your turn signal, check your rearview mirrors as you move
along, and glance over your shoulder as often as necessary.
Try to blend
smoothly with the traffic flow. c-
_I Driving on the Freeway
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the posted limit or to
-- the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay in the right lane unless you want to
pass.
If you are on a two-lane freeway, treat the right lane as the slow lane
and the left lane as the passing lane.
through lane, the middle lane as the higher-speed through lane, and the
left lane as the passing lane.
- If you are on a three-lane freeway, treat the right lane as the slower-speed
L_ Before changing lanes, check your rearview mirrors. Then use your turn
signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to make
sure there isn’t another vehicle in your “blind” spot.
If you are moving from an outside to
a center lane on a freeway having
more than two lanes, make sure another vehicle isn’t about to move into
the same spot. Look at the vehicles
two lanes over and watch for telltale
signs: turn signals flashing, an increase in speed, or moving toward the
edge
of the lane. Be prepared to delay your move.
-
._.
_I
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a
reasonable following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.
c_
Leaving the Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper lane well in
__ advance. Dashing across lanes at the last minute is dangerous. If you miss
your exit do not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.
- At each exit point is a deceleration lane. Ideally it should be long enough
for you to enter it at freeway speed (after signaling, of course) and then
do your braking before moving onto the exit ramp. Unfortunately, not all
braking. Decide when to start braking.
If you must brake on the through
lane, and
if there is traffic close behind you, you can allow a little extra
- deceleration lanes are long enough -- some are too short for all the
195

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine time and flash your brake lights (in addition to your turn signal) as extra
warning that you are about to slow down and exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
-.
U t I! The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed according to your
speedometer, not to your sense
of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going slower than you
actually are. For example,
40 mph (65 h/h) might seem like only 20 mph c_?
(30 km/h). Obviously, this could lead to serious trouble on a ramp
designed for
20 mph (30 kmih)!
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DRIVTNG A LONG DISTANCE
Although most long trips today are made on freeways, there are still
many made on regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and regular highways is the same in
some ways. The trip has
to be planned and the vehicle prepared, you
drive at higher-than-city speeds, and there are longer turns behind the
wheel. You’ll enjoy your trip more if you and your vehicle are in good
shape. Here are some tips for a successful long trip.
BEFORE LEAWNG ONA LONG TRlP
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you must start when
you’re not fresh
-- such as after a day’s work -- don’t plan to make too
many miles that first part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and
shoes you can easily drive in.
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F i ! u
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it serviced and
maintained, it’s ready to
go. If it needs service, have it done before
starting out. Of course, you’ll find experienced and able service experts in
Cadillac dealerships all across North America. They’ll be ready and
7
willing to help if you need it. -1
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
0 Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked all levels?