1993 CHEVROLET ASTRO PASSENGER Owners Manual

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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never know 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
US. is very early on Sunday morning. In fact, GM
Research studies show that the most and the least dangerous ti\
mes 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 part.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a nat\
ional 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
0 Vision
Police records show that half of all motor vehicle-related deat\
hs 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 inju\
red.
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 depends on
each person and situation, here
is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
of someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
0 How much alcohol is in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking.
The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine /- 'I '. ,
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AM407001
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RI ULT IN A BAC
OF A ' .85% IN
THE I 6
HOURS
AM407002
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
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
The law in most
US. 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 BAG 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 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, spina\
l 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.
CAUTION
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
[ perceptions, and judgment will be affected by even a small amo\
unt
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Control of a Vehicle
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.
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Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s e\
asy 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 perception time 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, coordinati\
on, 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 (1 00 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 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.
Don’t ”ride” the brakes by letting your left foot rest lightly on the brake
pedal while driving.
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“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 slow you down. Avoid
“riding” the brakes.
1 CAUTION
I
NOTICE
“Riding .he brakes wears them out much faster. You would need costll
brake replacement much
sooner than normal. and it also reduces fuel
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following distances, you
will eliminate
a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and
longer brake
life.
4 If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake normally but don’t
pump your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If
your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you
will
use it when you brake, Once the power assist is used up, it may
take longer
to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lOCk Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has an advanced electronic braking system that can help you
keep
it under control. When you start your vehicle and begin to drive \
away,
you may hear a momentary motor
or clicking noise. This is the ABS system
testing itself.
AM41 501 0
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out in front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down.
The computer separately works the brakes at each front wheel a\
nd
at the
rear wheels. The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure\
faster than
any driver could. The computer is programmed
to make the most of available
tire and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking
hard.
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