OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1996 Owners Manual

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.
L
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 the
rear wheels. You
can steer around the obstacle while braking hard. As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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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 and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the
system working, or you may notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
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.
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.
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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 too
much
of those places. You can lose control.
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 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.
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.
Your Oldsmobile can perform very well 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.
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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.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
.&-/// SLOW DOWN
edge of paved surface
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so
that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn your
steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
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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:
0 “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 marhngs 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 trafic.
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.
0 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.
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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.
0 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.
0 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
Oldsmobile’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 and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel
or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance
will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best
to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to
a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface’’ -- and slow
down when
you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
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.
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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.
Ni ~ lt 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.
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 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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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads 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.
The heavier the rain, the harder it
is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings,
the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment
in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled with
washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when
they show signs of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to separate
from the inserts.
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Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try
to avoid puddles.
But if
you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work
well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to one
side.
You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
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