ESP CHEVROLET ASTRO 2003 Owners Manual

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
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
wear safety belts?
or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does,
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense. 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.
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Doors and Locks
Door 'lock--
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers - especially children - can
easily open
the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door
is locked,
the handle won't open
it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in a crash if the doors aren't locked.
So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave
it.
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.
Young children who get into unlocked
Outsiders can easily enter through an There
are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
To unlock your door from the outside, use your key
or remote keyless entry transmitter,
if equipped.
For more information, see
Remote Keyless Entry
System
on page 2-4.
To lock the front doors and
sliding side door from the
inside, slide the manual
lock levers down. To unlock
the front doors and the
sliding side door from the
inside, slide the manual
lock levers
up. When the
red mark on the lock
lever
is visible, the door
is unlocked.
2-7

Windows
Leaving children in a vehicle with the windows
closed is dangerous.
A child can be overcome
by the extreme heat and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from heat stroke. Never
leave a child alone in a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
Manual Windows
To operate your manual windows, turn the hand crank
on each door
to raise or lower your side door windows.
2-1 6

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is a big business, especially in some 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.
Passlock@
Your vehicle is equipped with the Passlock@
theft-deterrent system.
Passlock@ is a passive theft-deterrent system. Passlock@
enables fuel
if the ignition lock cylinder is turned with
a valid key.
If a correct key is not used or the ignition
lock cylinder is tampered with, fuel is disabled. During normal operation,
the SECURITY light will
go off
approximately five seconds after the key is turned
to RUN.
If the engine stalls and the SECURITY light flashes, wait
until the light stops flashing before trying to restart the
engine. Remember to release the key from START as
soon as the engine starts.
If the engine is running and the SECURITY light comes
on, you will be able to restart the engine
if you turn
the engine
off. However, your Passlock@ system is
not working properly and must be serviced by your
dealer. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock@ at this
time. You may also want to check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-93.
See your dealer for service.
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To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system
off, set the parking brake while the ignition is off.
Then start your vehicle. The automatic headlamp
system will stay
off until you release the parking brake.
You may be able to turn
off your automatic headlamp
system. See “Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)” later
in this section for more information.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps when you need them.
Lamps On Reminder
A reminder tone will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your ignition
is
in OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY. To disable the
tone, turn the instrument panel brightness thumbwheel
all the way down. In the automatic mode, the
headlamps turn off once the ignition key is in OFF.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
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. Fully functional daytime
running lamps are required on all vehicles first sold
in Canada.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come on
at a reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is on,
the exterior lamp control is off.
the automatic transmission is not in PARK (P),
the light sensor determines it is daytime and
the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on.
Your instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
3-1 4

Understanding Radio Reception
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.
FM
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.
Care of Your CDs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen
a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution
and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge. Be
sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer
edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged.
If the mast should ever become
slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand. If the mast
is badly bent, as it might be by vandals, you should
replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
to the fender.
If tightening is required, tighten by
hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
3-50

But 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 a collision increases sharply for drivers who have
a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a
BAC level
of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance
of having a collision. At a BAC level of
0.10 percent,
the chance
of this driver having a collision is 12 times
greater; at a level of
0.15 percent, the chance is
25 times greater!
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.
“1’11 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
Drink ...a and then __ -vin, .- . -~, --anger s.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgement 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

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 vehicles 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.
4-1 2

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.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time OD
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.
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.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
4-1
3

Here are some tips on night driving.
e
e
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.
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.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even
several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust 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 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. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
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.
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