1993 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Skidding (CONT.)
(including engine braking by shifting to
a lower gear). Any sudden change could
cause the tires
to 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
bralung skid.
Steer the way you want
the vehicle to
go.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than.
day driving. One reason is that some
drivers are likely
to be impaired-by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips
on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is
the most dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See the Index
under Drunken Dn’ving for mure on
this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce
the glare from headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may
need
to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
It’s hard to teil how fast the vehicle
ahead
is going just by looking at its
taillights.
speed roads. Your headlights can light
up only so much road ahead.
Slow down, especially on higher
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a
safe place and rest.

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Myht Vision
No one can see as well at night, as in the
daytime. But as
we get older -these
differences increase. A. 50-year-ald driver may require .at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at
night as a 20-year-old.
What you 80 in the daytime can also
&ct your night vision. For example, if
you spen-d-the day in bright sunshine
you
are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to
night.
But if you’re driving, don’t
wear
sunglasses at night. They may cut down
on glare from headlights, but they also
make
a lot of things invisible that
should
r.enmin visible-such as parked
cars, obstacles, pedestrians, or even
trains blocking railway
crossings.. You
may want to put on your sunglasses
after you have pulled into a brightly
lighted service or refreshment area.
Eyes shielded from that glare may
adjust more quickly to darkness back
on the road, But be sure to remove your
sunglasses before
you .leave the service
area.
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights. It
can take a second
or
two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from
a driver who doesn’t lower the high
beams,
or a vehicle with misaimed
headlights),
slow down a little. Avoid
-staring directly into the approaching
lights. If there is a line of opposing
traffic, make occasional glances
over the
line of headlights to make certain that
one
of the vehicles isn’t starting to
move into your lane. Once you .are past
the bright lights, give your eyes time
to
readjust before resuming speed.
High Beams
If the vehicle approaching-you has its
high beams on, signal by fliclcing yours
to high and then back to low beam. This
is the usual signal to lower the
headlight beams. zf.the other
driver still
doesn’t lower the
beams, resist the
ternaptation to. put
your high beams on.
This only makes two ha-blinded
drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams only
in remote axeas where you won’t impair
approaching drivers.
In some p€aces,
like cities, using high beams is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a
freeway
or highway, use low beams.
True, most vehicles
now have day-night
mirrors that enable the driver to reduce
glare. But outside
mirrors are not of this
type and high beams
from behind can
bother the driver ahead.

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Remember that your hedlights light up
€arless of a roadway when you are .in a
turn or cuwe.
Keep your eyes: moving; that way, it's
easier to pick aut d.imly lighted objects.
Just as sour headlights should be
checked regulaily-far proper aim, so;
should your .eyes be mmined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night
blindness-the inabiIity to
see in dim
light-and
wen? even aware .of it,
b '
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Driving in the.Rain
-Rainiand wet roads can mestll dtiving
,.trouble. On a wet road you can'-t stop.,
accelerate
or turn as well because your
tire-to-roacl traction.
isn't as good as on
dry roads. And, if your tires don't have
traction.
It% always wise t;p g~ slower and be
cautious'if rai.n starts to fall While ybir
are driving. The surface may get wet
suddenly when. your:reflexes are. tuned
far driving CI~ dry pavement.
Thei;he.avier. the rain,
the hatdef it is to-
see. Eveh if your windshield wiper
blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can male it harder to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the
edge of the road, and even pegple
much tread left, youl~ get even less

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walking. 'Rad 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 wind,shi.eld, or when strips
of rubber start to separate from the
inserts.
Driving too fast through large water
puddles or even going
through some
vehiclewashes
em cause problems, too.
The water..may affect your 'brakes. Try
to avoid puddles. But if you can't, try to
slow down before you hit them.
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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much
water
can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride-on the-water. This
can happen
if the road is wet enough
and you’re going-fast enough. When
youi vehi-cle. is hydroplaning, it
has little
or no-contact with the road.
You
might. not be aware of hydroplaning.
You could drive along
for some time
without realizing your tires aren’t in
constant contact with the road.
You
could find out the hard way: when you
have to slow, turn, move out to pass-
or
if .you get hit by-a gust of wind. You
could suddenly find yours& out of
control.
I88
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often.
But it can if your tires haven’t much
tread
or if the pressure in one or more is
low. It can happen if a lot of water- is
standing on the road.
If you can see
reflections
from trees, telephone poles,
or other vehicles, and raindrops
“dimple” the water’s surface, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydrop1anhg:usually happens at higher
speeds. There just isn’t a hard and fast
rule about hydroplaning. The best
advice is
to slow down when it is
raining, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
9 Turn on your headlights-not just
your
parking lights-to help make you
more visible to -others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles co-ming
from behind.
You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime if it’s
-raining hard.
Besides slo.wing down, allow some
extra follo~ng distance.
And‘be
especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself-more clear room ahead, and be prepared
to
have your view restricted by r-oad .
spray. If the road. spray is.50 heavy
you..are actually blinded, drop back.
.Don’t pass until conditions improve.
Going more slowly
is better than
having-an accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See
the Index under Tires.)

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Driving in Fag, lMfst and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. It can be so mild that you
can see through it for several hundred
feet (meters). Or it might be so thick
that you
can s’ee only a few feet
(meters) ahead. It’may come suddenly
to an athenvise dear road. And it can
be a mjolc hazard.
When you drive into .a fog patch, your
visibility will be. reduced quickly. The
biggest dangers ‘are strilung. the vehicle
ahead or being struck by the one behind.
Tryto “read” the fog density down the
mad. If the vehicle ahead starts to
become less clear or, at night, if the
tai11,ights are hader to see, the fog is
probably thickning. Slow down to give
tr&c behind you a chance to -slaw.down.
Everybody then has a .betta -chance to
avoid hitting the vehide ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only
€or a few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers); you can’t really tell while
you’re
in it. You. can only treat the
situation with extrbme care.
One cornmon fog condition-
sometimes called mist or ground fag-
can happen in weather that .seems
perfect, especially
at night or in the
early
morning in valley and low, marshy
areas. You can be suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze that may even coat
your windshield.
You can often spot
these fog patches or mist layers with
YOW~ headlights. But sometimes they
can be waiting for you as you come over
a hill or dip into a shallow valley. Start
yaur
windshield wipers and washer to
help clear accumulated road
dirt. Slow
down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low bearit, even in
daytime. You’ll see-and be seen-
better. Use your fdg lights.
Don’t
use your high beams. The light
wil1,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. Runyour
windshield wipers .and washer
occas.itmdl.y. Moisture
c5u1 bui1d:up on
the outside. glass, and what .seems to be
fog may’actnrilly b-e-moisture on the
outside
of yoarwindshield.
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

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Tips on Driving in Fog (CONT.)
something between you and moving
vehicles-space, trees, telephone poles,
a private driveway, anything that
removes you
from other trafic.
If visibility is near zero and you must
stop but are unsure whether you are
away
from the road, turn your lights on,
start your hazard warning flashers, 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 suspect the fog is worse up
ahead. If other vehicles try to pass you,
make it easy for them.
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city.
streets
is the amount o€ 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:
* 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.
9 Try to use the freeways that rim and
crisscross
most large cities. You’ll
save time
and energy. (See the next
section,
Freeway Driving.)
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
remenher that they are
for ideal road,
weather
and visibility conditions. You
may need to drive bglow the .posted
limit
.in b.ad weather or when visibility
is especially poor,
clear
of intersections when you see or
hear emergency vehicles.
9 Pull to the right (with care) and stop
c

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Freeway Driviing
Mile--for mile, .freeways (also called
thruways,
parkways, -expressways,
turnpikes,'
or superhighways) are the
safest of all roads. But they have their
own specid rules.
The most important advice on freeway
driving is: Heep.up with tretffic and keep
to the right. Drive at the same speed
most of the ,ot.her drivers are driving-.
Too-fast :or too-slow driving breaks a
mo'oth traffic flow. Treat the left €me
on a :freeway as :a passing lane.
.1-
Entering the Freeway
At the entrance 'there' is usually a ramp
that l;md$ to the freeway. .If you' have a
clear view of the h.my as you drive
along thr: entrance ramp, you .shmild
begin to c.heclr. trdfic. Try to determine
where. you expect to- blend with the
flav. If traffic is light, you may have no
problem. But if it -is heavy, hd.a gap as
you move dong the entering lane &id
time pur qpmach. Tryto merge into
the gap at close to ,the prevailing speed.
Switch on yow: turn signal, check your
rearview mirrors .as you move along,
and.glmce .over your shoulder as often
as necessary. 'Try to blend smoothly
with the. traffic fluw.
DrJvfng on the Freeway
Once you are on the freeway, adjust
your speed
to the posted limit or to,the
prekbg rate if it's slower. Stay in
right fane unless you want to pass. If
you are ma two-lme freeway; treat the
right lane as the sbw lane and the,left
lane the passing lane.
If you are on a thee-lane freeway, treat
the right-
lane as the. slower-speed
through lane, the middle €ane as the
higherdpeed through lane, and the left
lane -as the passing .. lane.
Before changing lanes, check your
rearview minors. Then use YOU turn
signal. Just before you I-cave-the lane,
glance
quickly over pw shoulder to
make sure there isn't another vehicle in
your "blind" spot.