1993 CHEVROLET BLAZER warning

Pavement Markings
NO PASSING ZONE
AM40201 6
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.
4-8

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.
4-1 7

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 d\
rivers 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 foot 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
these conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery surfaces because
stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more limit\
ed.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try your best to avoid
sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking (including engine braking by shifting
to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires t\
o slide. You
may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is \
skidding. Learn to
recognize warning clues-such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the
road to make a “mirrored surface”-and slow down when you have any\

doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system (ABS) helps avoid only the braking
skid. Steer the way you want
to go.
4-23

Tips
You’ll
If you
on Driving in Fog
get caught in fog, turn your headlights on low beam, even in daytime.
see-and be seen-better. Use your fog lights
if your vehicle has them.
Don’t use your high beams. The light will bounce
off the water droplets that
make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity, even
a light buildup of moisture on the
inside of the glass
will cut down on your already limited visibility. Run your
windshield wiper and washer occasionally. Moisture can build up \
on the
outside glass, and what seems to be fog may actually be moist\
ure on the
outside of your windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to find a place
to pull off the road. Of
course you want to respect another’s property, but you might\
need to put
something between you and moving vehicles-space, trees, telephone\
poles,
a private driveway, anything that removes you from other traffi\
c.
If visibility is near zero and you must stop but are unsure whet\
her you are
away from the road, turn your lights
on, start your hazard warning flasher,
and sound your horn at intervals or when you hear approaching \
traffic.
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 susp\
ect the fog is
worse up ahead.
If other vehicles try to pass you, make it easy for them.
4-41

Your Driving and the Road
City Driving
AN460004
One of the biggest problems with city streets is 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-country trip.
Try
to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. Yo\
u’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 you see
or hear emergency vehicles.
4-42

Your Driving and the Road
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 your
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 kmlh). Obviously, this
could lead to serious trouble on a ramp designed for
20 mph (30 km/h)!
Driving a Long Distance
Although most long trips today are made on freeways, there are\
still many
made on regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and regular highways is the same in some
ways. The trip has to be planned and the vehicle prepared, yo\
u drive at higher-than-city speeds, and there are longer turns behind the wheel. You’ll
enjoy your trip more
if you and your vehicle are in good shape. Here are
some tips for
a successful long trip.
4-44

Winter Driving
r
AM480003
Here are some tips for winter driving.
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter. Be sure your engi\
ne coolant
mix is correct.
Snow tires can help in loose snow, but they may give you les\
s traction
on ice than regular tires.
If you do not expect to be driving in deep
snow, but may have to travel over ice, you may not want
to switch to
snow tires at all.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in your vehicle.
Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a
red cloth, and a couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will be
driiing under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a piece of
old
carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the road probably\
have
good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and the road, you can
have a very slippery situation. You’ll have a lot less traction or “grip” and
will
need to be very careful.
4-53

Here you’ll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
Hazard Warning Flashers ........................................................................\
............. 5-2
Other Warning Devices ........................................................................\
................. 5-3
Jump Starting ........................................................................\
................................ 5-3
Towing Your Vehicle, ........................................................................\
..................... 5-7
Engine Overheating ........................................................................\
....................... 5-8
Engine Fan Noise ........................................................................\
....................... 5-1 6
If a Tire Goes Flat ........................................................................\
...................... 5-16
Changing a Flat
Storing the Jack
If You’re Stuck: In
Tire ........................................................................\
............... 5-16
and
Tire. ........................................................................\
...... 5-30
Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ................................................... 5-31
5-1