Seats & Safety Belts
or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the
vehicle does. You get more time to stop.
You stop over more distance, and your
strongest bones take
the forces. That’s
why safety belts make such good sense.
rn Here Are Questions
Many People
Ask about
Safety Belts - and the
Answers
Q:
A:
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle
after an accident if
I’m wearing a
safety belt?
You could be - whether you’re
wearing a safety belt or not. But you
can easily unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident,
so you
can unbuckle and get out, is much
greater if you are belted.
Q: Why don’t they just put in air
bags
so people won’t have to wear
safety belts?
Inflatable Restraint systems, are in
some vehicles today and will be in
more of them in the future. But they
are supplemental systems only
- so
they work with safety belts, not
instead
of them. Every “air bag”
system ever offered for sale has
required the use
of safety belts.
Even
if you’re in a vehicle that has
“air bags,” you still have to buckle
up to get the most protection. That’s
true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other
collisions.
A: “Air bags, ” or Supplemental
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H Door Locks
Passengers - especially children
- can easily open the doors and
fall out. When a door is Iocked,
the inside handle won’t open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through
an unlocked door when you slow
down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be so obvious: You
increase the! chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash if tbe doors aren’t locked.
Wear safety belts properly, lock
your doors, and you will be far
better off whenever yw drive your
vehicle. 1
I
There are several ways to lock and
unlock your vehicle:
From
the outside: Use your key. To
lock the door, turn the key clockwise as
far as
it will go.
The lock switch on the driver’s door
will not work when the door is open.
This prevents the driver from being
locked out.
From the inside, push down the button
on the door.
To unlock the door, pull up on the
button.
Leaving Your Vehicle
If you are leaving the vehicle, open the
door and set the locks from inside. Then
get out and close the door.
Pull
up on the outside door handle as
you close the door.
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meft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially
in some cities. Although your Geo has a
number of theft-deterrent features, we
know that nothing we put on it can make
it impossible to steal. However, there
are ways you can help. Key in the Ignition: If you walk away
from your vehicle
with the key inside,
it’s
an easy target for joy riders or
professional thieves
- so don’t do it.
When you park your Geo and open the
driver’s door, you’ll hear a chime
reminding
you to remove your key from
the ignition and take it with you. Always
do this. Your steering wheel will be
locked,
and so will your ignition. If you
have an automatic transmission, taking
your key out also locks your
transmission. And remember to lock the
doors.
Parking at Night: Park in a lighted
spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember
to keep your
valuables out
of sight. Put them in a
storage area, or take them with you.
47. =
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r
Opentiun of Lights
Although your vehicle's lighting system
(headlamps, parking lamps, fog lamps,
side marker lamps and taillamps) meet
all applicable Federal lighting
requirements, certain States and
Provinces may apply their own lighting
regulations that may require special
attention before you operate these
lamps. For example, some jurisdictions may
require that you operate your low
beam lamps with fog lamps at all times,
or that headlamps be turned on
whenever you must use your windshield
wipers. In addition, most jurisdictions
prohibit driving solely with parking
lamps, especially at dawn or dusk.
It is
recommended that you check with your
own State or Provincial highway
authority for applicable lighting
regulations. Turn
the outside portion of the lever to
control the lights. There are three
positions for the light switch.
In OFF, all lights are turned off.
The middle position turns on the
parking lights, taillights, license plate
light and the instrument panel
lighting; the headlights are
off.
The third position turns on the
headlights.
Lights On Reminder
If you turn the ignition off, remove the
key and leave the lights on, a chime will
sound to remind you to turn off your
lights.
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2. Press the SEEK4 button and hold it
until the first digit of your code
appears.
3. Press the SEEK, button and hold it
until the second digit of your code
appears.
4. Press the TUNE4 button and hold it
until the third digit of your code
appears.
5. Press the TUNE, button and hold it
until the fourth digit of your code
appears.
checked that the code matches the
one you wrote down. Now
“SEC”
will appear in the display,
6. Press AM-F” after you have
Understanding Radio Reception
F” Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound,
but FM signals will reach only about 10 to
40 miles (16 to 65 km). And, tall
buildings or hills can interfere with
FM signals, causing the sound to come
and go.
AM
The range for most AM stations is
greater than for FM, especially at night.
The longer range, however, can cause
stations to interfere with each other.
AM can pick up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try reducing
the treble to reduce this noise if you
ever get it.
Care of Your Cassette Tape
Player
A tape player that is not cleaned
regularly can cause reduced sound
quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be
stored in their cases away from
contaminants, direct sunlight, and
extreme heat. If they aren’t, they may
not operate properly or cause failure of
the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned
regularly each month or after every
15
hours of use. If you notice a reduction
in sound quality,
try a known good
cassette to see if the tape or the tape
player is at fault. If this other cassette
has no improvement in sound quality,
clean the tape player.
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Your Driving and the Road
- 9 126
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, spinal 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.
A
Drinking and then driving is
very dangerous. Your
reflexes, perceptions, and
I
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 group,
designate a driver who
will not
drink.
I Conboi 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.
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. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle.
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Your Driving and the Road
II. 132
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets
into a situation that requires hard
braking.
You have the rear wheel
anti-lock braking system. Your front
wheels can stop rolling when you brake
very hard. Once they do, the vehicle
can’t respond to your steering.
Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when
the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the
road, into the very thing you
were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
So, use a “squeeze” braking technique.
This
will give you maximum braking
while maintaining steering control. You
do this by pushing on the brake pedal
with steadily increasing pressure. When
you do, you can maintain steering
control. In many emergencies, steering
can help you more than even the very
best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but
it will take
much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
A lot of the ‘‘driver lost control”
accidents mentioned on the news happen
on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of
us
is subject to the same laws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction
of
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Never cross a solid line on your side
of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
If you suspect that the driver of the
vehicle you want to pass isn’t aware
of your presence, tap the horn a
couple of times before passing. Or, if
your Geo has the Passing Signal
option, you can use that. See
“Passing Signal” in the Index.
Do not get too close to the vehicle
you want to pass while you’re
awaiting
an opportunity. For one
thing, following too closely reduces
your area of vision, especially if
you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space
if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or
stops. Keep back a reasonable
distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is
coming up, start
to accelerate but stay
in the right lane and don’t get too
close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes
to
move into the other lane. If the way is
clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes
up for the distance you would lose by
dropping back. And if something
happens to cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and
drop back again and wait for another
opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a
slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take
care that someone isn’t trying to pass
you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over
your shoulder and check the blind
spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your
shoulder, and start your left lane
change signal before moving out
of
the right lane to pass. When you are
far enough ahead of the passed
vehicle to see its front in your inside
mirror, activate your right lane
change signal and move back into the
right lane. (Remember that your right
outside mirror is convex. The vehicle
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