lights CHEVROLET CAMARO 1993 User Guide

Front Map Lights
Your inside rearview mirror includes two
map lights. Each light has its own switch.
Use the switch closest to the light to
turn
it on. The lights will also go on when a
door is opened.
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Mirrors
Inside Day/Night Rearview Mirror
An inside rearview mirror is attached to
your windshield, The mirror has pivots
so
that you can adjust it up and down or side
to side.
You can adjust the mirror for day or night
driving. Pull the tab for
night driving to
reduce glare. Push the tab for daytime
driving.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your right side mirror is convex.
A convex mirror's surface is curvec so
you can see more from the driver's seat,
If you aren't used to a convex
L mirror, you can hit another
vehicle.
A convex mirror can make
things (like other vehicles) look
Manual Adjust Mirror
Adjust the passenger side outside mirror you cut too sharply into the right
by hand
so that you can just see the side lane, you could hit a vehicle on your
of your vehicle when you are sitting
in a right. Check your inside mirror or
comfortable driving position. glance over your shoulder before
farther
away than they really are.
If
changing lanes.
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Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell you how far
your vehicle has been driven since you
last set the trip odometer to zero.
To set the trip odometer to zero, press the
knob.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute
(rpm).
NOTICE:
Do not operate the engine with th-
tachometer in the red :are:* nr en~~
damage may occur.
Warning Lights, Gages
and Zndicators
This section describes the warning lights
and gages that are
on your vehicle. The
pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that
something is wrong before
it becomes
serious enough
to cause an expensive
repair
or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also
save you or others from injury.
Warning lights
go on when there may be
or is a problem with one
of your vehicle’s
functions.
As you will see in the details
on the next few pages, some warning
lights come on briefly when
you turn the
ignition key just to let you know they‘re working.
If you
are familiar with this
section,
you should not be alarmed when
this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or
is a problem with one of your vehicle’s
functions. Often gages and warning lights
work together to let
you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes on
and stays on when you are driving. or
when one
of the gages shows there may
be a problem, check the section that tells
you what
to do about it. Please follow the
manual’s advice. Waiting
to do repairs
can
be costly - and even dangerous. So
please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They‘re
a big help.
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Your Driving and the Road
KEEP LEFT OR RIGHT TURN
RIGHT THROUGH 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.
NO U TURN BICYCLES NO PARKING NO
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 lights 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 must stop before turning
on red.
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Your Driving and the Road
136
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 safety
device
in your Chevrolet: 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
:hrough intersections.
You may not have
:o use the brake, but if you do, you will be
-eady.
If you’re driving through a shopping
center parking
lot where there are
well-marked lanes, directional arrows,
and designated parking areas, expect
some drivers to ignore all these markings
and dash straight toward one part of the
lot.
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the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path
when
you turn the front wheels. If there’s
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle
going
in the same direction. If you’ve
ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice,
~ you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get
in a curve
depends on the condition of your tires and
the road surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and your speed. While
you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor
you can control. Suppose you’re
steering through a sharp
curve. Then you suddenly accelerate.
Those two control systems
- steering
and acceleration
- can overwhelm those
places where the tires meet the road and
make you lose control.
What should you do
if this ever happens?
Let up on the accelerator pedal, steer the
vehicle the way you want
it to go, and
slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn
that
you should adjust your speed. Of course,
the posted speeds are based on good
weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to
go
slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach
a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can
“drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate
until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night, it’s
harder
to see the road ahead of you
because
it bends away from the straight
beams
of your lights. This is one good
reason to drive slower.
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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.
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 on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving
vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lights 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.
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Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day
driving. One reason is that some drivers
are likely to be impaired
- by alcohol or
drugs, with night vision problems, or by
fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See “Drunken
Driving’’
in the Index for more on this
problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce
the glare from headlights
behind you.
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Since you can’t see as well, you may
need to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
It’s hard to tell how fast the vehicle
ahead is going just by looking at its
taillights.
Slow down, especially
on higher
speed roads. Your headlights 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.
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.
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Your Driving and the Road
But if you’re driving, don’t wear
sunglasses at night. They may cut down
on glare from headlights, but they also
make a lot
of things invisible that should
remain visible
- such as parked cars,
obstacles, pedestrians,
or even trains
blocking railway crossings. You may
want to put
on your sunglasses after you
have pulled into a brightly-lighted service
or refreshment area. Eyes shielded from
that glare may adjust more quickly to
darkness back on the road. But be sure to
remove your sunglasses before you leave
the service
area.-^-
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights.
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 headlights), slow
down a
little. Avoid staring directly into
the approaching lights. If there is a line of
opposing traffic, make occasional glances
over the line
of headlights to make certain
that one
of the vehicles isn’t starting to
move into
your lane. Once you are past
the bright lights, give your eyes time to
readjust before resuming speed.
High Beams
[f the vehicle approaching you has its
high beams on, signal
by flicking yours to
high and then back to low beam. This is
:he 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
Zities, using high beams is illegal.
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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.
A Few More Night Driving Suggestions
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 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.
Driving in the Rain
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 you are
driving. The surface may get wet
suddenly when your reflexes are tuned for
driving on
dry pavement.
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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.
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. 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
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Turn on your headlights - not just
your parking lights
- to help make
you more visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming
from behind.
You may want to use
your headlights even
in daytime if it’s
raining hard.
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