1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Owner's Manuals

REW%SI!BLE IANE ON MULTlIANiE ROADWAY N'O PASSING' ZONE.
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Your Driving and the Road
Defensive Driving
, The best advice anyone can give about
144
driving is: Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety
device in your Oldsmobile: Buckle up.
(See the
Index under Safety Belts. )
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
t .o run st ,op 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 areas, 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 defensive 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
U.S. 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 from
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 section.

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! I Your Driving and the Road
Drunken Driving (CONT.)
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).
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Of course, as we’ve seen, it depends on
how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quicMy 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 person)
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.

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Drinking and then driving is
L very dangerous. Your
reflexes, perceptions, and judgment
can 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.
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Tiding” your brakes can
cause them to overheat to the
point that 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.

If you keep pace with the tr&c and
allow realistic following distances, you
will eliminate a lot of unnecessary
braking. That means better braking and
longer brake life.
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) (OPTION)
If your Oldsmobile has this system, it
has an advanced electronic braking
system that
will help prevent skidding.
If you have an anti-lock brake system
(ABS), the brake pedal will say
so.

Your Driving and the Road
150
Anti-Lock Brakes (CONT.)
And this light on the instrument panel
will go on when you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle and begin
to drive away you may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise and
you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little while this is going
on. This is the
ABS system testing itself.
If you have your foot on the brake
pedal, this check won’t happen until the
vehicle goes about
4 mph (6 lm/h) or
until you take your foot off the brake
pedal.
You’ll also hear a clicking noise the
next time the vehicle goes about
4 mph
(6 lun/h).
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock
brake system, the anti-lock brake
system warning light will stay on or
flash. See the
Index under Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning Light.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say
the road is wet. You’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 separately
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
could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road
conditions.