stop start SUZUKI RENO 2008 1.G User Guide

3-23INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
Malfunction Indicator LampCheck Engine Light
Your vehicle is equipped with a computer
which monitors operation of the fuel, igni-
tion and emission control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is
intended to assure that emissions are at
acceptable levels for the life of the vehicle,
helping to produce a cleaner environment.
The Check Engine Light comes on to indi-
cate that there is a problem and service is
required. Malfunctions often will be indi-
cated by the system before any problem is
apparent. This may prevent more serious
damage to your vehicle. This system is
also designed to assist your service techni-
cian in correctly diagnosing any malfunc-
tion.When the ignition is on, this light should
come on and should go out after a few sec-
onds as a check to show you it is working.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it
repaired.
This light will also come on during a mal-
function in one of two ways:
Light Flashing
A misfire condition has been detected. A
misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control sys-tem on your vehicle. Diagnosis and ser-
vice may be required.
Light On Steady
An emission control system malfunction
has been detected on your vehicle. Diag-
nosis and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious
damage to your vehicle:
 Reducing vehicle speed.
 Avoiding hard accelerations.
 Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If the light stops flashing and remains on
steady, see “If the Light Is On Steady” fol-
lowing.
If the light continues to flash, when it is
safe to do so, stop the vehicle. Find a safe
place to park your vehicle. Turn the key off,
wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is On Steady” following. If the
light is still flashing, see your SUZUKI
dealer for service as soon as possible. Fol-
low the driving guidelines described above.
S5U3008AS
CAUTION
If you keep driving your vehicle with
this light on, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel econ-
omy may not be as good, and your
engine may not run as smoothly. This
could lead to costly repairs that may
not be covered by your warranty.
CAUTION
Modifications made to the engine,
transmission, exhaust or intake or
fuel system of your vehicle can affect
your vehicle’s emission controls and
may cause this light to come on.
Modifications to these systems could
lead to costly repairs not covered by
your warranty. This may also result in
a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
Warning Lights, Gauges and Indicators:

3-28
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
Your vehicle has also been equipped with
a TPMS malfunction indictor to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously illu-
minated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as
the malfunction exists.In this situation, please have the system
inspected by an authorized service facility.
If you replace one or more tires and the
TPMS warning light goes off during driv-
ing, there is no problem. However, if the
warning light does not go off, or if it flashes
again when the vehicle is driven, have the
vehicle inspected by an authorized service
facility.
WARNING
(Continued)
If the tire pressure monitoring system
warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position, have the system
inspected by an authorized service
facility. If the warning light flashes
while driving, check to see whether
the warning light goes off after a few
minutes of driving.
WARNING
When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire pres-
sure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons,
including the installation of replace-
ment or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always
check the TPMS malfunction telltale
after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that
the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to
function properly.
WARNING
If the tire pressure warning light does
not come on when the ignition is
turned to the “ON” position, or
comes on and blinks for approxi-
mately one minute and then illumi-
nate continuously, while driving there
may be a problem with the tire pres-
sure monitoring system. Have your
vehicle inspected by an authorized
dealer.
WARNING
If the tire pressure warning light
comes on and stays on, reduce your
speed and avoid abrupt steering and
braking. Stop in a safe place as soon
as possible and check your tires.
 If you have a flat tire, replace it with
a spare tire. Refer to “Changing a
Flat Tire” in section 5.
 If one or more of your tires is
under-inflated, adjust the inflation
pressure in all of your tires to the
recommended inflation pressure as
soon as possible.
Be aware that driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire can cause
the tire to overheat and can lead to
tire failure, and may affect steering
control and brake effectiveness. This
could lead to an accident, resulting in
severe injury or death.
Audio System:

3-33INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
knob to change the fade between the front
and the rear speakers. The display will
show the fade level. When finished making
the selection, press this button again to
select the fade level.
Setting the EQ
Press this button until “EQ OFF” appears
on the display to select customized equal-
ization settings designed for classic,
dance, rock, jazz, pop, voice and techno.
Turn the volume knob until the desired
equalization setting appears on the display.
When finished making the selection, press
the SOUND button again to select the
equalization setting.
To cancel an equalization setting, press
the SOUND button until “EQ OFF” appears
on the display, turn the volume knob until
“OFF” appears on the display, then press
the SOUND button again to select the
equalization setting.
84Z024
PLAYING A CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side
up. The player will pull it in and the CD
should begin playing. You can insert a CD
with the ignition off.
When the CD is inserted, “CDP” will
appear on the display. As the CD is loading
“LOADING” will appear on the display. As
each new track starts to play, the track and
track number will appear on the display.
If the ignition or radio is turned off with a
CD in the player, it will stay in the player.
When a CD is in the player and the ignition
is turned on, the radio must be turned on
before the CD will start playback. When
the ignition and radio are turned on, the
CD will start playing where it stopped, if it
was the last selected audio source.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch
(8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring.
Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are
loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may
be reduced due to CD-R quality, the
method of recording, the quality of the
music that has been recorded, and the way
the CD-R has been handled. There may be
an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding
tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and
ejecting. If these problems occur, check
the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface
of the CD is damaged, such as cracked,
broken, or scratched, the CD will not play
properly.If there is no apparent damage, try a
known good CD.
Do not add any label to a CD, it could get
caught in the CD player. If a CD is
recorded on a personal computer and a
description label is needed, try labeling the
top of the recorded CD with a marking pen
instead.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD
Messages” later in this section.
RPT (Repeat) button (7):
Press this button to repeat the current
track. RPT will appear on the display.
Press this button again to turn off repeat
play.
RDM (Random) button (7):
Press this button to hear the tracks in ran-
dom, rather than sequential, order. “RDM”
will appear on the display. Press this button
again to turn off random play.
INT (Scan) button (7):
Press this button to listen to the first few
seconds of each track on each loaded CD.
“INTRO” will appear on the display. To stop
scanning, press this button again. The cur-
rent track will begin to play.
TUNE (Previous/Next Track) button (4):
Press the down arrows to go to the start of
the current track or press the up arrows to
go to the next track. The track number will
appear on the display. The player will con-
tinue moving backward or forward through
ROCK
JAZZ
EQ OFF CLASSIC
POP VOICE TECHNO
DANCE
Audio System:

3-35INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
radio displays the name of the folder the
radio will display “ROOT”.
Order of Play
Tracks will be played in the following order:
Play will begin from the first track under the
root directory. When all tracks from the root
directory have been played, play will con-
tinue from files according to their numerical
listing. After playing the last track from the
last folder, the player will begin playing
again at the first track of the first folder or
root directory.
File System and Naming
The song name in the ID3 tag will be dis-
played. If the song name is not present in
the ID3 tag, then the radio will display the
file name without the extension (such as
MP3/WMA) instead.
Track names longer than 32 characters or
4 pages will be shortened. The display will
not show parts of words on the last page of
text and the extension of the filename will
not be displayed.
Playing an MP3/WMA
With the ignition on, insert a CD partway
into the slot, label side up. The player will
pull it in, then “LOADING”, and then “MP3”
or “WMA” will appear on the display. The
CD should begin playing. You can’t insert a
CD with the acc off. As each new track
starts to play, the track number, and the
song name will appear on the display.If the ignition or radio is turned off with a
CD in the player, it will stay in the player.
When a CD is in the player and the ignition
is turned on, the radio must be turned on
before the CD will start playback. When
the ignition and radio are turned on, the
CD will start playing where it stopped, if it
was the last selected audio source.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch
(8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring.
Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are
loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may
be reduced due to CD-R quality, the
method of recording, the quality of the
music that has been recorded, and the way
the CD-R has been handled. There may be
an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding
tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and
ejecting. If these problems occur, check
the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface
of the CD is damaged, such as cracked,
broken, or scratched, the CD will not play
properly.
If there is no apparent damage, try a
known good CD.
Do not add any label to a CD, it could get
caught in the CD player. If a CD is
recorded on a personal computer and a
description label is needed, try labeling the
top of the recorded CD with a marking pen
instead.If an error appears on the display, see “CD
Messages” later in this section.
All of the CD functions work the same
while playing an MP3/WMA, except for
those listed here. See “Playing a CD” ear-
lier for more information.
DIR (Directory) button (11):
Press this button to repeat the tracks in the
current directory. “DIR” will appear on the
display.
Press this button again to repeat the tracks
in all of the directories. “ALL” will appear on
the display.
Press this button again to turn off repeat
play.
SEEK (Previous/Next Folder) button (5)
(in MP3/WMA mode):
Press the up or down arrows to change the
folder. If the CD-R doesn’t have any folder,
“ROOT” will flash on display for a short
time.
TUNE (Previous/Next Folder) button (4):
Press the up or down arrows to go to the
first track in the previous or to go to the
next folder. The player will continue moving
backward or forward through the CD with
each press of the up or down arrows.
INFO/DISP (Information/Display) button
(12):
Press this button to display additional text
information related to the current MP3/
WMA song. A choice of additional informa-

3-40
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
knob to change the fade between the front
and the rear speakers. The display will
show the fade level. When finished making
the selection, press this button again to
select the fade level.
Setting the EQ
Press this button until “EQ OFF” appears
on the display to select customized equal-
ization settings designed for classic,
dance, rock, jazz, pop, voice and techno.
Turn the volume knob until the desired
equalization setting appears on the display.
When finished making the selection, press
the SOUND button again to select the
equalization setting.
To cancel an equalization setting, press
the SOUND button until “EQ OFF” appears
on the display, turn the volume knob until
“OFF” appears on the display, then press
the SOUND button again to select the
equalization setting.
84Z024
PLAYING A CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side
up. The player will pull it in and the CD
should begin playing. You can insert a CD
with the ignition off.
When the CD is inserted, “CDP” will
appear on the display. As the CD is loading
“LOADING” will appear on the display. As
each new track starts to play, the track and
track number will appear on the display.
If the ignition or radio is turned off with a
CD in the player, it will stay in the player.
When a CD is in the player and the ignition
is turned on, the radio must be turned on
before the CD will start playback. When
the ignition and radio are turned on, the
CD will start playing where it stopped, if it
was the last selected audio source.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch
(8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring.
Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are
loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may
be reduced due to CD-R quality, the
method of recording, the quality of the
music that has been recorded, and the way
the CD-R has been handled. There may be
an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding
tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and
ejecting. If these problems occur, check
the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface
of the CD is damaged, such as cracked,
broken, or scratched, the CD will not play
properly.If there is no apparent damage, try a
known good CD.
Do not add any label to a CD, it could get
caught in the CD player. If a CD is
recorded on a personal computer and a
description label is needed, try labeling the
top of the recorded CD with a marking pen
instead.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD
Messages” later in this section.
RPT (Repeat) button (7):
Press this button to repeat the current
track. RPT will appear on the display.
Press this button again to turn off repeat
play.
RDM (Random) button (7):
Press this button to hear the tracks in ran-
dom, rather than sequential, order. “RDM”
will appear on the display. Press this button
again to turn off random play.
INT (Scan) button (7):
Press this button to listen to the first few
seconds of each track on each loaded CD.
“INTRO” will appear on the display. To stop
scanning, press this button again. The cur-
rent track will begin to play.
TUNE (Previous/Next Track) button (4):
Press the down arrows to go to the start of
the current track or press the up arrows to
go to the next track. The track number will
appear on the display. The player will con-
tinue moving backward or forward through
ROCK
JAZZ
EQ OFF CLASSIC
POP VOICE TECHNO
DANCE

3-42
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
radio displays the name of the folder the
radio will display “ROOT”.
Order of Play
Tracks will be played in the following order:
Play will begin from the first track under the
root directory. When all tracks from the root
directory have been played, play will con-
tinue from files according to their numerical
listing. After playing the last track from the
last folder, the player will begin playing
again at the first track of the first folder or
root directory.
File System and Naming
The song name in the ID3 tag will be dis-
played. If the song name is not present in
the ID3 tag, then the radio will display the
file name without the extension (such as
MP3/WMA) instead.
Track names longer than 32 characters or
4 pages will be shortened. The display will
not show parts of words on the last page of
text and the extension of the filename will
not be displayed.
Playing an MP3/WMA
With the ignition on, insert a CD partway
into the slot, label side up. The player will
pull it in, then “LOADING”, and then “MP3”
or “WMA” will appear on the display. The
CD should begin playing. You can’t insert a
CD with the acc off. As each new track
starts to play, the track number, and the
song name will appear on the display.If the ignition or radio is turned off with a
CD in the player, it will stay in the player.
When a CD is in the player and the ignition
is turned on, the radio must be turned on
before the CD will start playback. When
the ignition and radio are turned on, the
CD will start playing where it stopped, if it
was the last selected audio source.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch
(8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring.
Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are
loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may
be reduced due to CD-R quality, the
method of recording, the quality of the
music that has been recorded, and the way
the CD-R has been handled. There may be
an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding
tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and
ejecting. If these problems occur, check
the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface
of the CD is damaged, such as cracked,
broken, or scratched, the CD will not play
properly.
If there is no apparent damage, try a
known good CD.
Do not add any label to a CD, it could get
caught in the CD player. If a CD is
recorded on a personal computer and a
description label is needed, try labeling the
top of the recorded CD with a marking pen
instead.If an error appears on the display, see “CD
Messages” later in this section.
All of the CD functions work the same
while playing an MP3/WMA, except for
those listed here. See “Playing a CD” ear-
lier for more information.
DIR (Directory) button (11):
Press this button to repeat the tracks in the
current directory. “DIR” will appear on the
display.
Press this button again to repeat the tracks
in all of the directories. “ALL” will appear on
the display.
Press this button again to turn off repeat
play.
SEEK (Previous/Next Folder) button (5)
(in MP3/WMA mode):
Press the up or down arrows to change the
folder. If the CD-R doesn’t have any folder,
“ROOT” will flash on display for a short
time.
TUNE (Previous/Next Folder) button (4):
Press the up or down arrows to go to the
first track in the previous or to go to the
next folder. The player will continue moving
backward or forward through the CD with
each press of the up or down arrows.
INFO/DISP (Information/Display) button
(12):
Press this button to display additional text
information related to the current MP3/
WMA song. A choice of additional informa-

4-3DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
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 con-
trol of your vehicle.BrakingBraking 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, coordi-
nation and eyesight all play a part. So do
alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in3/4 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 emer-
gency, 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 condi-
tion 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 peo-
ple drive in spurts – heavy acceleration fol-
lowed 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 driv-
ing, 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 Brake System (ABS)
(if equipped)
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 nor-
mal.
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake
system, this warning light will stay on. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in
section 3.
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

4-7DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
gerous move, since the passing vehicle
occupies the same lane as oncoming traf-
fic 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:
 “Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to
the sides and to crossroads for situa-
tions that might affect your passing pat-
terns. If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making a successful pass, wait for
a better time.
 Watch for traffic signs, pavement mark-
ings 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 traffic.
 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.
 When it looks like a chance to pass is
coming up, start to accelerate but stay inthe right lane and don’t get too close.
Time your move so you will be increas-
ing 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 can-
cel your pass, you need only slow down
and drop back again and wait for another
opportunity.
 If other vehicles 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 vehi-
cle. 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 lamps
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 ControlLet’s review what driving experts say about
what happens when the three control sys-
tems (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 try-
ing 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 exist-
ing conditions, and by not “overdriving”
those conditions. But skids are always pos-
sible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your vehicle’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 is best handled by easing
your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your
foot off the accelerator pedal and quickly
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

4-8
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
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.
If you have the anti-lock braking system,
remember: It helps avoid only the braking
skid. If you do not have anti-lock, then in a
braking skid (where the wheels are no
longer rolling), release enough pressure
on the brakes to get the wheels rolling
again. This restores steering control. Push
the brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly. As long as the
wheels are rolling, you will have steering
control.
Driving at NightNight 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.
 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.
No one can see as well at night as in the
daytime. But as we get older these differ-
ences 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 sec-
ond 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.
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

4-9DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
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.Driving in Rain and on Wet RoadsRain and wet roads can mean driving trou-
ble. On a wet road, you can’t stop, acceler-
ate 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 sur-
face may get wet suddenly when yourreflexes are tuned for driving on dry pave-
ment.
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 windshield 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.Driving too fast through large water pud-
dles 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.
WARNING
Wet brakes can cause accidents.
They won’t work as 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.
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle: