1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme ESP

Seats & Safety Belts
20
Here Are Questions Many People
Ask Abouf Safety Belfs-
and fhe Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle
after an accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
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.
A You could be-whether you’re
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
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never
drive far from home, why should I
wear safety belts?
A You may be an excellent driver, but if
you’re in an accident-ven one that
isn’t your fault-you and your
passengers can be hurt. Being
a good
driver doesn’t protect you from
things beyond your control, such as
bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25
miles (40 lun) of home. And the
greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds
of less
than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.

Door Locks
GAU I IVN
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
Passengers-especially children-
can easily open the doors and fall
out. When a door is locked, 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 the doors aren’t locked. Wear
safety belts properly, lock your
doors, and you will be far better off
whenever you drive your vehicle. There are
several ways to lock and
unlock your vehicle.
From the Outside:
Use your door ley or Remote Lock
Control, if your vehicle has this option.
From the Inside:
To lock the door, push down the
locking lever. To unlock, push the lever
UP*
47

Programming the Module
You will need to program your Remote
Lock Control module if any of the
following things occur:
You replace your Remote Lock
Control transmitter;
You add a second transmitter;
Something grounds the data encoder
You replace the Remote Lock Control
connector
in the trunk;
module.
To program the module, you'll need the
transmitter and a short length of wire,
about
3 feet (1 m) long. Then follow
these steps:
1. Open the trunk and locate the data
encoder connector
(A). It's on the
right side, above the wheel well.
2. Attach one end of the grounding wke
to the stud inside the data encoder
connector terminal.
3. Attach the other end of the wire to a
ground
(B).
4. Press any button on the transmitter
once. Wait for the locks to fully cycle.
If you have a second portable
transmitter, press any button on it,
once, also. Wait for the locks to fully
cycle. Your module is now
programmed.
5. Disconnect the wire Gom the data
encoder connector and the ground.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially
in some cities.
Although your Oldsmobile has a number
of theft-deterrent features, we lmow
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 keys inside,
it's
an easy target for joy riders or
professional thieves-so don't do it.
When you park your Oldsmobile and
open the driver's door, you'll hear a
tone 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 and
transaxle. And remember to lock the
doors.
51

VOL (Volume): Press the top of the
switch to increase volume or the bottom
to decrease it. Press the middle
of the
switch to mute the audio system. Press
any switch to return to your original
volume level.
SEEK: Each time you press the top of
the switch, you will tune in a radio
station higher on the AM or FM band;
each time you press the bottom
of the
switch, you will tune in a radio station
lower on the AM or FM band.
With a
CD player, pressing SEEK will
advance the tracks forward or back.
Audio Bass Control (OPTION)
You can adjust the volume of bass
frequencies, from
50-150 hz, by sliding
this lever from left to right. This control
will not affect the volume of frequencies
higher than
150 hz.
Understanding Radio Reception
FM Stereo
FM Stereo will give you the best sound,
but FM signals will reach only about
10
to 40 miles (16 to 65 lun). 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 also pick up noise from things
like storms and power lines. To lower
this noise, try reducing the treble level.
133

Watch for traffic signs, pavement
markings, and lines. If you can see a
sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your
pass.
A broken center line usually
indicates it’s all right to pass
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,
you can use flash-to-pass. See the
Index under Flash-to-Pass.
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.
I (providing the road ahead is clear).
When it loolts 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.
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.
If other cars are lined up to pass a
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
you just passed may seem to be
farther away from you than it really
is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle
at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lights are not flashing,
it may be
slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy
for the following driver to get ahead of
you. Perhaps you can ease a little to
the right.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving
157

~
~~ Your Driving and the Road
158
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say
about what happens when the three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have 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 drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care
suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to
your Oldsmobile’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
limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced
1
traction, try your best to avoid sudden
steering, acceleration, or braldng (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes 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.
If you have the anti-lock braking
system, remember: It helps avoid only
the braking skid.
If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where
the wheels are no longer rolling),
release enough pressure on the brakes
to get the wheels rolling again. This
restores steering control. Push the
brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly. As long as the
wheels are rolling, you will have
steering control. Steer the way you
want to go.
I .@ i 7“
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 Driving for more 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 tell 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.
1
159

Your Driving and the Rad
162
Driving in the Rain (CONT.)
walking. Road 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 windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to separate from the
inserts.
I CAUTION
Driving too fast through large water
puddles
or even going through some car
washes can 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. Wet
brakes can cause
4 - s accidents. They won’t work
well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side.
You could lose
control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or a car wash, apply your
brake pedal liehtly until your
brakes
w --~’ xmallg.