ESP CHEVROLET ASTRO 1997 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Q.’ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But
you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q.’ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most
of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems
only; so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in
a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up
to get the most
protection. That’s true
not only in frontal collisions,
but especially
in side and other collisions.
wear safety belts?
Q.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect
you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And
the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 kmh).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-17

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Door Locks
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When
a door is
locked, the inside handle won’t open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be
so obvious: You increase the
chance of being thrown out
of the vehicle in a
crash if the doors aren’t locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you will be far
better
off whenever you drive your vehicle.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
To unlock your door from the outside, use your key.
To lock the front doors and
sliding side door from the
inside, slide the lock levers
down.
To unlock the front
doors and
the sliding side
door from the inside, slide
the lock levers up.
Rear doors cannot be manually locked from the inside.
To unlock the rear hatch and Dutch doors from the
inside, press the
REAR HATCH button located to the
right of the shift lever.
2-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Synchronization
Synchronization may be necessary due to the security
method used by this system. The transmitter does not
send the same signal twice
to the receiver. The receiver
will not respond to a signal it has been sent previously.
This will prevent anyone from recording and playing
back the signal from the transmitter.
To resynchronize your transmitter, stand
close to your
vehicle and simultaneously press and hold
the LOCK
and UNLOCK buttons on the transmitter for eight
seconds. The door locks should cycle to confirm
' synchronization. If the locks do not cycle, see your
dealer
for service.
Sliding Door
To open the sliding side door, pull the handle toward the
back and slide the door to the rear
until it rests in the
open detent position.
To close the sliding side door,
you must first pull the
door past the open detent position.
2-10

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Theft Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
Vehicle
theft is big business, especially in sbme cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put
on it can make
it impossible to steal. However, there are ways
you
can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves -- so
don’t do it.
When you park your vehicle and open the driver’s
door, you’ll hear
a chime reminding you to remove your
key from the ignition and take it with you. Always do
this. Your steering wheel will be locked, and
so will
your ignition and transmission. And remember
to lock
the doors.
Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it’s best
to lock it up and take your key.
But what if
you have to leave your key? What if you
have
to leave something valuable in your vehicle?
Put your valuables in a storage area, like your
Lock all the doors except the driver’s.
glove box.
Then take the door
key and remote keyless entry
transmitter with you.
2-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rotate the knob clockwise again to the master
lighting symbol
to turn on all the lamps listed as
well as the headlamps.
Rotate the knob counterclockwise
to OFF to turn off
your lamps.
Rotate the dial next to the knob up
to adjust your
instrument panel lights. Rotate the dial up
to the first
notch for full intensity.
If you rotate the dial to the
second notch, your interior lamps will come on.
Rotate the dial next to the lamp switch down
to dim
your instrument panel lights.
Headlamps
You can switch your headlamps from high to low beam
by pulling the multifunction lever toward
you.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will flicker on
and off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away
if this happens.
Headlamps On Reminder
A reminder tone will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are turned on and your ignition is
in the
OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY position. To turn the tone
off, turn the switch to
OFF.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others
to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come
on at
a reduced brightness when:
0 the ignition is on,
0 the headlamp switch is off and
0 the parking brake is released.
2-38

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To unlock a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power
Loss” earlier in
this section.
Understanding Radio Reception
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound. But FM signals
will reach only about 10 to
40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings
or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and go.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines.
Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it
is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes
of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you can add
what you want.
If’ you can, it’s very important to
do
it properly. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation
of your vehicle’s
engine, Delco radio
or other systems, and even
damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may interfere
with the operation
of sound equipment that has
been added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
3-28

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 even a moderate 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, especially injuries to the brain, spinal
cord or
heart.
This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
I
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected
by even a small amount
of alcohol. You can have a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision 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.
4-5

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back
into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and to
crossroads for situations that might affect your passing
patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about
making a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken
center line usually indicates
it’s all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following
too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space
if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance
you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you
to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying
to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember
to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
’ 4-12

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you
are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back
into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle
you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than
it really is.)
0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek
an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types
of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling, In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes
the driving wheels to spin.
4-13

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles,
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If
you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place and rest.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps.
It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn’t lower the high beams,
or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a
little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass
c-1 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. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see
the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do
in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day
in bright
sunshine you are wise
to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night.
They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but
they also make a lot
of things invisible. Remember
that your headlamps 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 headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper
aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and aren’t
even aware of it.