1993 BUICK CENTURY light

Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops
or the system
fails to function, 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 surhce, 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 apply
the brakes. Both control systems-
steering and braking-have
to do their work where the
tires meet the road. Adding the hard braking can demand
too much at those places. You can lose control.
The
same thing can happen if you’re steering through a’
sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two
control systems-steering and acceleration-can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and make you lose ‘control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Let up on the
brake or 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.
When you drive
into a curve at night, it’s harder to see
the road ahead of you because it bends away .from the
straight beams of your lights.
This is one good reason to
drive slower.
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Iff-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.
If the level of
the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be hirly 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 % turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then
turn
your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
I
If the shoulder appears to be about four inches (100 mm)
or more below the pavement, this difference can cause
problems. If there
is not enough room to pull entirely
onto the shoulder and stop, then follow the same
procedures. But if the right front tire scrubs against the
side of the pavement, do
NOT steer more sharply. With
too much steering angle, the vehicle may jump back onto
the road with
so much steering input that it crosses over
into the oncoming traffic before you can bring it back
under control.
Instead, ease
off again on the accelerator and steering
input, straddle the pavement once more, then
try again.
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.
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Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are not flashing, it
may be
slowing down or starting to turn.
driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you can ease a little
to the right.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the following
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 Buick‘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.
I
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 surfhce
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.
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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. Steer the way you want to go.
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 “Drunken Driving” in the
Index for more on this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare
from headlights behind you.
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.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlights 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.
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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 afkct 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
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 hced
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.
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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 fdm 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
fhr 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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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.
A CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They-won’t
work well in
a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. Ybu could lose control
of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or I car 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 at higher
speeds. 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.
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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 “Tires”
in the Index.)
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 severa1,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
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