Oldsmobile Aurora 1998 Owner's Manuals

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving
is a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
0 Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
0 Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve akohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, over
17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the
adult population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so
they never drive after drinking. For persons under
2 1, it’s against the law in every U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There
are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what
if people do? How much is “too much’’ if the
driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although
it depends on each person and situation
here is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association, a
180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had
1 - 1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.

It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3 ounces
or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have
a somewhat lower BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men.
Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that
a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when each has the same
number
of drinks.
The law in many
U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of 0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada,
the limit is 0.08 percent. In some
other countries, it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the United States
is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks them.
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. “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.
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
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.
~
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go wher
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator.
All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.

Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But that’s
only an average. It might be less with one driver and as
long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age,
physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight
all
play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even
in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h)
travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle
and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition
of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster
if you
do a lot
of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot
of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.

If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use
it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this
test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
If there’s a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
LOCK
ANT‘- (@) on. See “Anti-Lock Brake Here’s
how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road
is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels.
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The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed
to make the most of available tire and
road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard. As you
brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls bralung pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may hear a motor
or clicking noise during a hard stop, but this is normal.
Traction Control System
Your vehicle has a traction control system that limits
wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road
conditions. The system operates only if it senses that
one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works
the front brakes and reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
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This light will come on
when your traction control
TRACTION
ACTIVE system is limiting wheel
spin. See “Traction Control
System Active Light” in
the Index.
You may
feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control” in the Index.)
TRACTION
OFF
This light should come
on briefly when you start
the engine.
If it stays on
or comes on while you
are drrving, there’s a
problem with your
traction control system.
See “Traction Control System Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel
spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system
off if you ever need to. (You
should turn the system
off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or
snow. See “Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
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To turn the system off,
press the TRACTION
CONTROL button on
the center console.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
The traction control system warning light will come
on and stay on.
If the system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button, the warning light will come
on
-- but the system won't turn off right away. It will
wait until there's no longer a current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The traction control system warning
light should go off.
Magnasteer TM
Your vehicle is equipped with GM Magnasteer" , a
steering system that continuously adjusts the effort you
feel when steering at all vehicle speeds. It provides ease
when parking yet a firm, solid feel at highway speeds.

Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of 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.
Both control systems -- steering and
acceleration -- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand to!,
much of those places. You can lose control. Refer to
“Traction Control System” in the Index,
What should you
do if this ever happens? Ease 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 shou1.d
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 approxh 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.

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from
between parked cars and stops right in front of you.
You can avoid these problems by braking -- if you
can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive
action.-- steering
around the problem.
lour vehicle can perforhl v2vL%ell in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available. An
emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision.
If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a full
180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
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