1993 CHEVROLET ASTRO PASSENGER turn signal

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine proceed with caution, yielding the right of way to pedestrians and sometimes
to other vehicles.
Some traffic lights also use red arrows
to signify that you must stop before
turning on red.
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 thes\
e
systems are in effect.
REVERSlbLE
LANE ON
MULTI-LANE
ROADWAY
VP AM402015
Pavement Markings
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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, i\
t’s safer to let other
drivers know what you are doing. And in some places the law requires driver
signals.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
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 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 sig\
ns say.
The next part discusses some of the road conditions you may encounter.
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defens\
ively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your vehic\
le: 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 carel\
ess 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 t\
here are
well-marked lanes, directional arrows, and designated parking are\
as, expect
some drivers to ignore all these markings and dash straight to\
ward one part
of the lot.
Pedestrians can be careless. Watch for them. In general, you m\
ust 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
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0
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 c\
onvex. The
vehicle you just passed may seem
to be further 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 lights 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 Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens whe\
n the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t ha\
ve 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 possib\
le.
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 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 foo\
t
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
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Driving in the Rain
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Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road y\
ou can’t stop,
accelerate 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 sutface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes a\
re tuned
for driving on dry pavement.
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. Road spray can often be worse for vision than \
rain,
especially
if it comes from a dirty road.
So it is wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape and keep your
windshield washer tank filled. 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Pass other vehicles in fog only if you can see far enough ahead to pass
safely. Even then, be prepared to delay your pass
if you suspect the fog is
worse up ahead.
If other vehicles try to pass you, make it easy for them.
City Driving
AM460005
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing, and pay
attention to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:
e
e
e
e
Know the best way to get to where you are going. Try not to drive
around trying to pick out a familiar street or landmark. Get \
a city map
and plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for
a cross-county trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You’ll
save time and energy. (See the next section, “Freeway Drivi\
ng.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal.
A traffic light is there because
the corner is busy enough to need
it. When a light turns green, and just
before you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the red light.
Obey all posted speed limits. But remember that they are for ideal road,
weather and visibility conditions. You may need to drive below the
posted limit in bad weather
or when visibility is especially poor.
Pull to the right (with care) and stop clear of intersections when y\
ou see
or hear emergency vehicles.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Freeway Driving
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AN461001
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways, expres\
sways,
turnpikes, or superhighways) are the safest of all roads. But they have their
own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep up with \
traffic and
keep
to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers \
are
driving. Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic
flow. Treat the left
lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
Entering the Freeway
At the entrance there is usually a ramp that leads to the freewa\
y. If you have
a clear view of the freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp, you
should begin to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to blend
with the flow.
If traffic is light, you may have no problem. But if it is heavy,
find a gap as you move along the entering lane and time your\
approach. Try
to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed. Switc\
h on your turn
signal, check your rearview mirrors as you move along, and gla\
nce over your
shoulder as often as necessary.
Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
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Driving on the Freeway
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the posted \
limit or to the
prevailing rate
if it’s slower. Stay in the right lane unless you want to pass. If
you are on a two-lane freeway, treat the right lane as the s\
low lane and the
left lane as the passing lane.
If you are on a three-lane freeway, treat the right lane as the \
slower-speed
through lane, the middle lane as the higher-speed through lane,\
and the left lane as the passing lane.
Before changing lanes, check your rearview mirrors. Then use yo\
ur turn
signal. Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over yo\
ur shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your “blind” \
spot.
If you are moving from an outside to a center lane on a freeway\
having
more than two lanes, make sure another vehicle isn’t about \
to move into the
same spot. Look at the vehicles
two lanes over and watch for telltale signs:
turn signals flashing, an increase in speed, or moving toward \
the edge of the
lane. Be prepared to delay your move.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a \
reasonable
following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.
Leaving the Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper lane \
well in
advance. Dashing across lanes at the last minute is dangerous. \
If you miss
your exit do not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. \
Drive on to the
next exit.
At each exit point is a deceleration lane. Ideally
it should be long enough for
you to enter
it at freeway speed (after signaling, of course) and then do yo\
ur
braking before moving onto the exit ramp. Unfortunately, not al\
l deceleration
lanes are long enough-some are too short for all the braking. \
Decide when
to start braking.
If you must brake on the through lane, and if there is traffic
close behind you, you can allow a little extra time and flash\
your brake lights
(in addition to your turn signal) as extra warning that you \
are about
to slow
down and exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply. The exit\
speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed according to your speedometer,\
not to
your sense of motion. After driving for any distance at higher\
speeds, you may tend
to think you are going slower than you actually are. For example,\

40 mph (65 km/h) might seem like only 20 mph (30 kmk). Obviously, this
could lead to serious trouble on
a ramp designed for 20 mph (30 kmlh)!
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
On two-lane highways or undivided multilane highways that do not have
controlled access, you’ll want to watch for some situations not usually found
on freeways. Examples are: stop signs and signals, shopping cen\
ters with
direct access to the highway, no passing zones and school zones, vehicles
turning left and right
off the road, pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles, and
even animals.
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis?’’ Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel? Call it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with the same scenery,
along with the hum
of the tires on the road, the drone of the engine, and the
rush
of the wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t le\
t it
happen to you!
If it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less than a
second, and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to the sides. Check
your rearview mirrors frequently and your instruments from time \
to time.
This can help you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light. Glare can cause drowsiness. But
don’t wear sunglasses at night. They will drastically reduce \
your overall
vision at the very time you need all the seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service, or parking area
and take a nap, get some exercise, or both. For safety, treat\
drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace with traffic and allow adequat\
e
following distances.
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