1993 BUICK RIVIERA brake

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CAUTlOf _. [lConltlinulecJ~
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle i,.
tlhe shiift lever is not flullly in1 T” (Park) with the
parking brake
firmly set. Your vehic’le can roll.
!Don’t leave your veh!icle when the engine
is
running unless you have to. If you’ve left the
engine irunning, th8e vehicle can move su’ddenly.
You or others could
be ‘injured. To be sure your
vehic’le w&t move, even when you,’re
on fairly
level ground,
always set your parking br’ake a’nd
move the shift lever to
‘T’’ (Park).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle
won’t Imove., See Shifting Into’ ’~P’ (Park) in the
Index,.
If you are parkiing on a hil’l, also see “Pariking on
Hills” in the Index.
Retained Accessory Power
After the ignition is turned off, and before any door is
opened, the following systems will work for ten
minutes:
1’
Power windows
0 Radio
@ Clock (with radio off)
0 Windshield wiper/waSher
0 Astroroof (option) I
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To Resume a Set Speed
Suppose you set your Cruise Control at a desired speed:
and then you apply the brake. This,
of course, shuts off I
the Cruise Control. But you don’t need to reset it. Once
you’re going about
25 mph (40 lunk) or more, you can
move the Cruise Control switch
from “ON’ to
“Resume/Accelerate” for abo
A CAUTION:
If you hold the switch at “Resume/Accelerate”
longer than half a second, the vehicle will keep
going faster until you release the switch or
apply the brake. You could be startled and even
lose control.
So unless you want to go faster,
don’t hold the switch at “Resume/Accelerate.’
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and stay
there.

To Reduce Speed While Using Cruise
Control Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
1. Push in the button at the
end of the lever until
you reach the lower Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the Cruise Control speed you set earlier.
speed you want, then
Using Cruise Control on Hills
release it. How well your Cruise Control will work
on hills
2. To slow down in very small amounts, push the
button for less than half a second. Each time you do
this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower. depends upon your speed, load, and
the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have
to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When
going downhill, you
may have to brake or shift to a
lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes
you out of Cruise Control.
Many drivers find this to be too much trouble and don’t use Cruise Control
on steep hills.

Brake System Warning Light
1 Your Buick’s hydraulic
I two parts. If one part isn’t
~ working, the other part can
~ still work and stop you. For ’ good braking, though, you
brake system is divided
into
1 well.
need both parts working
If the
warning light goes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on as you start the vehicle. If it
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s a problem. This light will
also come
on when you set your parking
brake, and will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake
is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem. If the
light comes on while driving, pull
off the road and stop
carefully. You may notice that the pedal is harder to
push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor. It may
take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
I A CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the
road and stopped carefully, have the vehicle
towed for service.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
1
I’
i
If the light stays on or comes on when you’re driving,
stop as soon as possible and turn the key off. Then start
With anti-lock, this light the engine to reset the system.
If the light still stays on,
will go on when you start or comes on again while you’re driving, your Buick
your engine and may stay needs service. Unless the regular brake system’ warning
on for several seconds or light is also on, you will still have brakes, but not
so. anti-lock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning
light
is also on, see “Brake System Warning Light”
earlier in this part.
The anti-lock brake system warning light may also come on when you are driving with
a compact spare tire. If
this happens, the light means you won’t have anti-lock
until you replace the compact spare, with a full-size tire.
If the warning light stays on after you replace the
compact spare with
a full-si.ze tire, or if it comes on
again when you’re driving, your Buick needs service.
That’s normal.
If the light doesn’t come on, have it fixed
~ so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Hazard Warning Flasher Service A/C
- This light
on your
instrument panel lets you
know when you have the
hazard warning flashers
on.
When the hazard flashers are on, your turn signals will
not work.
If you apply the brakes, the flashing will stop
until’you release the brake pedal. See “Hazard Warning
Flashers” in the Index for more information.
If this light stays on 60
seconds or more, your air
conditioning system needs service. It comes
on as a
bulb cheek, whenever you
turn the ignition to “Run”.

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.
urn 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.
Slowing 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
Flasher” 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.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with
a very important safety device in your
Buick: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads, or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Expect children to dash out from behind parked cars, often- followed by other children. Expect occupants in
parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for
movement in parked cars
-- someone may be about to
open a door.
Expect other drivers to run stop signs when
you are on a
through street. Be ready to brake if necessary as you go
through intersections. You may not have to use the
brake, but
if you do, you will be ready.
If you’re driving through a shopping center parking lot
where there are well-marked lanes, directional arrows,
and designated parking areas, expect some drivers to
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ignore all these markings and dash straight toward one
part of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for them.
In general,
you must give way to pedestrians even
if you know you
have the right of way.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
:‘accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
.following distance. It’s the best defensive driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
Iknow when the vehicle in front of you
is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Here’s a final bit of information about defensive driving.
The most dangerous time for driving in the
U.S. is very
early on Sunday morning. In fact,
GM Research studies
show that the most and the least dangerous times for
driving, every week, fall on the same day. That day is
Sunday. The most dangerous time is Sunday from
3 a.m.
to
4 a.m. The safest time is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11
a.m. Driving the same distance on a Sunday at 3 a.m.
isn’t just
a little more dangerous than it is at 10 a.m. It’s
about
134 times more dangerous!
That leads to the next section.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every
year. Alcohol takes away three things that anyone needs
to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol
- a driver, a
passenger or someone else, such as a pedestrian, had
been drinking.
In most cases, these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking and driving. Over
25,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each year because of
alcohol, and thousands of people are injured.
Just how much alcohol is too much if
a person plans to
drive? Ideally, no one should drink alcohol and then
drive. But
if one does, then what’s “too mucli”? It can be
a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is some general
information on the problem.
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