
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that
“Daytime Running Lights” (DRL) are a
useful feature,
in that DRL can make your vehicle more visible to
pedestrians and other drivers during daylight hours.
DRL are required on new vehicles sold in Canada.
Your DRL work with
a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Don’t cover it up.
The low beam headlights will come on at reduced
brightness in daylight when:
The ignition is on
The headlight switch is off, and
The transaxle is not in “P” (Park).
At dusk, the exterior lights will come
on automatically
and the low beams will change
to full brightness. At
dawn, the exterior lights will go out and the low beams
will change
to the reduced brightness of DRL (if the
headlight switch is
off).
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, shift the
transaxle into
“P” (Park). The DRL will stay off until
you
shift out of “P” (Park).
To turn off all exterior lighting at night when
you are
parked, move the twilight sentinel control from
ON to
OFF, if it was on from the start. Or, move the control
from
OFF to ON, then back to OFF, if it was off from
the start. The lights will come back
on when you move
the transaxle
out of PARK.

Mirrors
Inside Mirror
When you are sitting in a comfortable driving position,
adjust the mirror
so you can see clearly behind your car.
The day-night adjustment
allows you to adjust the
mirror
to avoid glare from the lights behind you.
Outside Mirrors
Manual
To adjust the left outside
mirror, rotate the
knob
located on the driver’s door.
h The right outside mirror
L must be adjusted manually.
Adiust each mirror
so you can jus
t see the s
veiicle and the area behind your vehicle. ide
of your
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Visor Vanity Mirror (Option)
This mirror is on the larger of the passenger's sun
visors.
It may also be on the larger of the driver's
sun visors. The lights
turn on when the mirror cover
is opened.
The brightness
of the light can be adjusted by sliding
this switch.
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Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This section describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save
you or
others from injury.
Warning lights go on when there may be or
is a problem
with
one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will see in
the details
on the next few pages, some warning lights
come on briefly when
you turn the ignition key just to
let you know they’re working. If you are familiar with
this section, you should not be alarmed when this
happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to
let you how when
there’s a problem with your vehicle. When
one
of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving,
or when one of the gages shows
there may be
a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow the manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Fuel Gage
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Traffic Lights Some traffic lights also use red arrows to signify that
you must stop before turning on red.
REVERSIBLE
LANE ON
LANE
ROADWAY MULTI-
x
-.
-.
We’re
all familiar with traffic lights or stop lights. Often
green arrows are being used in the lights for improved
traffic control. On some multilane roads, green arrows
light up, indicating that traffic in one or more lanes can
move or make
a turn. Green arrows don’t mean “go no
matter what.” You’ll still need
to proceed with caution,
yielding
the right of way to pedestrians and sometimes
to other vehicles. Many city
roads and expressways, and even bridges, use
reversible-lane traffic control during rush hours.
A red X
light above a lane means no driving in that lane at that
time.
A green arrow means you may dfive in that lane.
Look for the signs posted to warn drivers what hours
and days these systems are
in effect.
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-

Pavement Markings
NO
PASSING
ZONE
Pavement markings add to traffic signs and signals.
They give information to drivers without taking
attention from the roadway. A solid yellow line on your
side
of the road or lane means “don’t cross.’’
Your Own Signals
Drivers signal to others, too. It’s not only more polite,
it’s safer to let other drivers know what
you are doing.
And in some places the law requires driver signals.
Turn and
lane change signals. Always signal when you
plan to turn or change lanes.
If necessary, you can use hand signals
out the window:
Left arm straight out for a left turn, down for slow or
about-to-stop, and
up for a right turn.
Slowinn down. If time allows, tap the brake pedal once
or twice in advance of slowing or stopping. This warns
the driver behind
you.
Disabled. Your four-way flashers signal that your
vehicle is disabled
or is a hazard. See “Hazard Warning
Flashers” in the Index.
Traffic Officer
The traffic police officer is also a source of important
information. The officer’s signals govern, no matter
what the traffic lights or other signs say.
The next section discusses some
of the road conditions
you may encounter.
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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 y.our 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.
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
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.
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 Buick can perform very well
in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
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
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0 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 lights are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
following 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
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 “over-
driving” 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.
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 comer
on a wet, snow-or icexovered road), ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal as soon as your 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 changes could cause tires to slide.
You may
not realize the surface is slippery until your
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