PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1993 Owners Manual

Your Driving and the Road
Passing (CONT.)
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.)
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Try not to pass more than one vehicle
at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
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.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving
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.
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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 Pontiac’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. If your
vehicle starts to slide (as when you turn
a corner on a wet, snow- or ice-covered
road), ease your foot off the accelerator
pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle
start to slide. Quickly steer the way you
want the vehicle to go.
If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten out. As it does, straighten
the front wheels.
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 change 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 braking
system
(ABS) helps avoid only the
braking skid.
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See the Index
under Drunken Driving for more on
this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
142
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.
speed roads. Your headlights can light
up only
so much road ahead.
Slow down, especially on higher
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.
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
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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
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.
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Your Driving and the Road
A &w More Night Driving
Suggestions
(CONTJ
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.
144
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.
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. Road spray can often be worse for vision than rain, especially
if it
comes from
a dirty road.
So it is wise to keep your wiping
equipment in
good shape and keep your
windshield washer
tank fdled. 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 Parge water
puddles or even going through some
vehicle washes can cause problems, toc The water may affect your brakes.
Try
to avoid puddles. But if you can’t, try to
slow down before you hit them.
t.
I
1 CAUTION I
Wet brakes can cause
accidents. They won’t work
dl 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 vehicle wash,
apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
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.
145 ’
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Your Driving and the Road
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 you
are actually blinded, drop back. Don’t
pass until conditions improve. Going
more slowly is better than having an
accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See
the Index under Tires.)
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. 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 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.
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Tips on Driving in Fbg
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low beam, even in
daytime, You’ll see-and be seen-
better. Use your fog lights.
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 build-up 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.
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city
streets is the amount of traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch out for what the
other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in
city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you
are going. Try not to drive around
trying to pick out a familiar street or
landmark. Get a city map and plan
your trip into
an unknown part of the
city just as you would for
a cross-
country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and
crisscross most large cities. You’ll save
time and energy. (See the next section,
Freeway Driving.
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Your Driving and the Road
City Driving (CONT)
Treat a green light as a warning
signal. A traffic light is there because
the corner is busy enough
to need it.
When a light turns green, and just
before you
start to move, check both
ways for vehicles that have
not cleared
the intersection or may be running the
red light.
remember that they are for ideal road,
weather and visibility conditions.
You
may need to drive below the posted
limit
in bad weather or when visibility
is especially poor.
clear of intersections when you see or
hear emergency vehicles.
Obey all posted speed limits. But
Pull to the right (with care) and stop
Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called
thruways, parkways, expressways,
turnpikes, or superhighways) are
the
safest of all roads. But they have their
own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway
driving is: Keep up with traffic and keep
to the right. Drive at the same speed
most of the other drivers are driving.
Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a
smooth traffic flow. Treat the left lane
on a freeway as a passing lane.
Entering the Freeway
At the entrance there is usually a ramp
that leads to the freeway. If you have a clear view
of the freeway as you drive
along the entrance ramp, you should
begin to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to blend with the flow.
If traffic is light, you may have no
problem. But
if it is heavy, find a gap as
you move along
the entering lane and
time your approach. Try to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed.
Switch on your
turn signal, check your
rearview mirrors as
you move along,
and glance over your shoulder as often
as necessary. Try to blend smoothly
with the traffic flow.
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Driving on the Freeway
Once you are on the freeway, adjust
your speed to the posted
limit or to the
prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay in the
right lane unless
you want to pass. If
you are on a two-lane freeway, treat the
right lane as the slow lane and the left
lane as the passing lane.
If you are on a three-lane freeway, treat
the right lane as the slower-speed
through lane, the middle lane as the
higher-speed through lane, and the left lane as the passing lane.
Before changing lanes, check your rearview mirrors. Then use your
turn
signal. Just before you leave the lane,
glance quickly over your shoulder to
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.
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
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