1993 CHEVROLET BLAZER Owners Manual

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
4 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 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
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:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
4 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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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.
HOUR
AM407002
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Your Driving and the Road
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 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 p\
erson)
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 syst\
em 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.
I CAUTION
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
L 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
I group, designate a driver who will not drink.
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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.
I
AM409006
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 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 thre\
e 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 314
of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 kmlh) 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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Your Driving and the Road
Most drivers treat their brakes with care. Some, however, overw\
ork 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 p\
oint that
h 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.
‘Riding” the brakes wears them
out much faster. You would need costly
wake replacement much sooner than normal, and it also reduces fuel
mnomy.
NOTICE
If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following d\
istances, you
will eliminate a
lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and
longer brake life.
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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\
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.
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Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet. Y\
ou’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 sepa\
rately
works the brakes at each front wheel and at the rear wheels. \
The anti-lock
system can change the brake pressure faster than any driver co\
uld. 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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Your Driving and fhe Road
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As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
CAUTION I
A Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to get your foot up to
- the brake pedal, If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you,
you won’t have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle suddenly
slows or stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
I though you have anti-lock brakes. I
To Use Four-wheel Anti-Lock:
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down and let anti-lock work
for you.
You may feel the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but
this
is normal.
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Brake System Warning Light
K2325
This light appears on your instrument cluster to warn you if your regular
braking system needs service. See “Brake System Warning Light\
”
in the
Index.
Disc Brake Wear lndicators
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a high\
-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are \
needed.
The sound may come and go or be heard all the time your veh\
icle is moving
(except when you are pushing on the brake pedal firmly).
I
CAUTION
The brake wear warning sound means that sooner or later your \
your
brakes won’t work well. That could lead to an accident. When you
hear the brake wear warning sound, have your vehicle serviced. \
I
NOTICE
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads could result in costly brakt
repair.
ome driving conditions
or climates may cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly applied. This does
not mean something is
wrong with your brakes.
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