lights CHEVROLET TRACKER 1993 Owner's Manual

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.
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.
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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
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.
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
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Your Drlvlng and the Road
you are actually blinded, drop back.
Don’t pass until conditions improve.
having an accident.
~ Going more slowly is better than
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth.
(See “Tires” in the Index.)
99. 162
H Driving in Fog, Mist
and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy
fiost. 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
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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. Start your
windshield wipers and washer, to help
clear accumulated road dirt. Slow down
carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low beam, even in
daytime. You’ll see
- and be seen -
better. Don’t use your high beams.
The light
will bounce off the water droplets that
make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity,
even a light buildup of moisture on the
inside
of the glass will cut down on your
already limited visibility. Run your
windshield wipers and washer
occasionally. Moisture can build up on
the outside glass, and what seems to be
fog may actually be moisture on the
outside
of your windshield.
Treat dense
fog as an emergency. Try to
find a place to pull off the road.
Of
course you want to respect another’s property,
but you might need to put
something between you and moving
vehicles
- space, trees, telephone poles,
a private driveway, anything that
removes you from other traffic.
If visibility
is near zero and you must
stop but are unsure whether you are
away from the road, turn your lights on,
start your hazard warning flashers, and
sound your horn at intervals or when
you hear approaching traffic.
Pass other vehicles
in fog only if you
can see far enough ahead to pass safely.
Even then, be prepared to delay your
pass
if you suspect the fog is worse up
ahead. If other vehicles try to pass you,
make
it easy for them.
16399-
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
Once you are moving on the freeway,
make certain you allow a reasonable
following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
... 166
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 deceleration
lanes are long enough
- some are too
short for all the 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 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. 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 km/h)
might seem like only
20 mph (30 km/h).
Obviously, this could lead to serious
trouble
on a ramp designed for
20 mph (30 km/h)!
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I Driving a Long
Distunce
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
l enjoy your trip more if you and your
vehicle are in good shape. Here are
some tips for a successful long trip.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
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.
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 Geo dealerships all across
North America. They’ll be ready and
willing to help
if you need it. 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?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:
Have you checked all levels?
Lights: Are they all working? Are the
lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a
safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough
for long-distance
driving? Are the tires all inflated
to
the recommended pressure?
167-9.
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Your Driving and the Road
.._
176
If you have no blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from
newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
- anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to
keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm,
but be careful.
A
Snow can trap exhaust gases
under your vehicle. This can
cause deadly
CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside.
CO
could overcome you and kill you.
You can't see it or smell it,
so you
might not know it was in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the base
of your vehicle,
especially any that is blocking your
exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure
snow doesn't collect there.
Open a window just a little on
the
side of the vehicle that's away
from the wind. This will help keep
co out. Run your engine only as long as you
must. This saves fuel. When
you run the
engine, make it go a little faster than
just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat
that you get and it keeps the battery
charged. You will
need a well-charged
battery to restart the vehicle, and
possibly for signaling later on with your
headlights.
Let the heater run for
awhile.
Then, shut the engine off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve
the heat.
Start the engine again and
repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it
as little as possible. Preserve the fuel as
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Your Driving and the Road
Will the trailer brake parts take
3,000 psi (20 650 kPa) of pressure? If
not, the trailer brake system must not
be used with your vehicle.
If everything checks out this far, then
make the brake fluid tap at the port
on the master cylinder that sends fluid
to the rear brakes. But don’t use
copper tubing
for this. If you do, it
will bend and finally break off. Use
steel brake tubing.
88. 182
Driving With a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount
of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you’ll want to get to
know your rig. Acquaint yourself with
the feel of handling and braking with the
added weight
of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and
not nearly
so responsive as your vehicle
is by itself. Before you
start, check
the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer
moving and then apply the trailer brake
controller by hand to be sure the brakes
are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to
be sure that the load is secure, and that
the lights and any trailer brakes are still
working.
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Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that
require heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer.
And, because you’re a good deal longer,
you’ll need to
go much farther beyond
the passed vehicle before you can return
to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move that hand to the
left.
To move the trailer to the right,
move your hand to the right. Always
back up slowly and, if possible, have
someone guide you.
Making Turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal.
Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky
or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash whenever you signal
a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lights will also flash telling other drivers
you’re about
to turn, change lanes, or
stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when
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Problems on the Road
I Hazard Warning fishers
Your hazard warning flashers let you
warn others. They also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lights will flash on and
off.
Press th e button in t :o mak 'our fr 'on t
and rear turn signal lights flash on and
off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no
matter what position your key is in, and
even
if the key isn't in. To turn
again.
off the flashers,
push the switch
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals won't work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can
set one up at the side
of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
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