1993 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 drive in
that lane.
Look for the signs posted to warn drivers what hours and days
these systems are in effect.
PAWMENT MmNGS
I NU
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 OW 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.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 DMNG
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defensively.
Please start with a
very important safety device in your Cadillac: 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 are\
as,
expect some drivers to 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 know wh.en
the vehicle in front
of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
I 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.
7 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
7 134 times more dangerous!
That leads to the next section.
r- DRUNKEnT DMNG
! 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: 7.
-
0 Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
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.
i- Police records show that half of all motor vehicle-related deaths involve r
7
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
much”? It can be a lot less than many might think. Although it d,epends
on each person and situation, here is some general information on the
The Blood Alcohol Content
(BAC) of someone who is drinking depends
upon four things:
r
c problem.
r I.
How much alcohol is in the drink.
0 The drinker’s body weight.
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking.
The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol.
r
173

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine According to the American Medical Association, a 180-pound (82 kg)
person who drinks three 12-ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will
end up with
a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same
BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three
mixed drinks if each had
1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin
or vodka.
It’s the amount
of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person
drank three double martinis
(3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an
hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a slightly lower
BAC level.
174

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine DRINKING THAT WILL
RESULT IN A BAC OF .O5%
IN THE TIME SHOWN
OF DR!NKS (as In picture) 4
”+
2r 1
IOURS
‘ I 2 HOURS
100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
BODY WEIGHT IN POUNDS
IOUR
The law in most U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC of 0.10 percent.
In Canada the limit
is 0.08 percent, and in some other countries it’s lower
than that. The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in
one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it depends on
how much alcohol is in
the drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them.
But it’s very important to keep
in mind that the ability to drive is affected
well below a BAC
of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and
that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired \
at BAC levels
above
0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in an accident
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A
driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent (three beers in one hour for a
180-pound or 82
kg person) has doubled his or her chance of having an
accident. At a BAC level
of 0.10 percent, the chance of that driver having
an accident is six times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chances are
twenty-five times greater! And, the body takes about an hour to rid itself
of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers
will speed that up.
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer. What if there’s an emergency, a
need to take sudden action,
as when a child darts into the street? A
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine person with a higher BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to
avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that many people
don’t know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system can
make crash injuries worse. That’s especially true for brain, spinal cord
and heart injuries. That means that if anyone who has been drinking
--
driver or passenger -- is in a crash, the chance of being killed or
permanently disabled
is higher than if that person had not been drinking.
And we’ve already seen that the chance
of a crash itself is higher for
drinking drivers.
I
A CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, and judgment will be affected
by even a small
amount of alcohol.
You could have a serious -- or even fatal --
accident if you drive after drinking. Please don’t drink and drive
or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab;
or if you’re with
a group, designate a driver who will not drink.
CONTROL OF A WHICLE
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator.
All three
systems have
to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road.
176

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. Tha\
t means
you can lose control of your vehicle.
BRAKING
Braking action involves p- 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,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 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
emergency,
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 condition of the road
(wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with care. Some, however, overwork the
braking system with poor driving habits.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts -- heavy
acceleration followed by heavy braking
-- rather than keeping pace
177

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. a
0 Don’t “ride’’ the brakes by letting your left foot rest lightly on the
brake pedal while driving.
8
r
. . ... ..
A CAUTION:
I
“Riding” your brakes can cause them to overheat to the point
that they won’t work well.
You might not be able to stop your
vehicle in time to avoid an accident.
If you “ride” your brakes,
they
will get so hot they will require a lot of pedal force to slc
you down. Avoid “riding” the brakes.
178