1993 CHEVROLET BLAZER Owners Manual

Your Driving and the Road
Road Signs
The road signs you see everywhere are coded by color, shape a\
nd symbol. It’s a
good idea to know these codes so that you can quickly grasp the basic
meaning
or intent of the sign even before you have a chance to read it.
Color of Road Signs
I
n
rD0 NOT1
rn
WRONG
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RED means STOP. It may also indicate that some movement is not allowed.
Examples are
DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY.
RAIL1 4D
ADVANCE
CROSSING NO PASSING
ZONE
NARROW
BRIDGE
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YELLOW
indicates a general warning. Slow down and be careful when you
see a yellow sign. It
may signal a railroad crossing ahead, a no passing
zone, or some other potentially dangerous situation. Likewise, a\
yellow
solid
line painted on the road means “Don’t Cross.”
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LO w
SHOULDER WORKERS
AHEAD
e D
u
FLAGGER AHEAD
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ORANGE indicates road construction or maintenance. You’ll want to slow
down when you see an orange sign, as part
of the road may be closed off
or torn up. And there may be workers and maintenance vehicles around, \
too.
SMALLTOWN WEsTr- ! lt -
c J 1UI I 1 MILE
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GREEN is used to guide the driver. Green signs may indicate upcoming
freeway exits or show the direction you should turn to reach a particular
place.
H
HOSPITAL
~~ ~
!AST I
roWN
I
EXIT
44
4.
-
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BLUE signs with white letters show motorists’ services.
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a
INFORMATION

Your Driving and the Road
CANOEING SWIMMING
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BROWN signs point out recreation areas or points of historic or cultural
interest.
Shape of Road Signs
The shape of the sign will tell you something, too.
ISTOP]
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An OCTAGONAL (eight-sided) sign means STOP. It is always red with white
letters.

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A DIAMOND-shaped sign is a warning of something ahead-for example, the
end
of a divided highway, a curve, steep hill, soft shoulder, or a narrow
bridge.
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A TRIANGLE pointed downward, indicates YIELD. It assigns the right\
-of-way
to traffic on certain approaches to an intersection.
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A TRIANGULAR sign also is used on two-lane roads to indicate a NO
PASSING ZONE. This sign will be on the left side of the roadway.
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Your Driving and the Road
-
KEEP
RIGHT
LEFT OR
THROUGH
RIGHT TURN
ONLY
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RECTANGULAR (square or oblong) signs show speed limits, parking
regulations, give directions, and such information as distances \
to cities.
Symbols on Road Signs
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There are many international road signs in use today.
The basic message
of many of these signs is in pictures or graphic symbols.
A picture within a circle with a diagonal line across it shows what NOT to do.
NO U
TURN
NO
PARKING NO BICYCLES
I I AM402013
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Traffic Lights
I
I I
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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.
Some traffic
lights also use red arrows to signify that you must stop before
turning on red.
REVERSIBLE
LANE
ON
ROADWAY MULTI-LANE
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Many city roads and expressways, and even bridges, use reversib\
le-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.
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Pavement Markings
NO PASSING ZONE
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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 yell\
ow 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.
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 part discusses some of the road conditions you may e\
ncounter.
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Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defens\
ively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your vehicle: 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 defens\
ive driving
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 times for
driving, every week, fall on the same day. That day is Sunday. The most
dangerous time is Sunday
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.
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