1993 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Notes
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Here you'll find information about
driving on different kinds of roads
and in varying weather conditions
.
We've also included many other
useful tips on driving
.
Your Driving and the Road
......................................................
................................................
.................................................
Road Signs 146
Defensive Driving
150
Drunken Driving 151
Control of a Vehicle
Braking 154
Anti-Lock Brakes
155
Steering Tips 160
Passing ....................................................... 163
DrivingatNight .................................................. 165
Driving in the Rain
168
CityDriving ..................................................... 171
Freeway Driving 172
HillandMountainRoads
........................................... 176
ParkingonHills .................................................. 177
Winter Driving 179
TowingaTrailer
.................................................. 183
.....................................................
...............................................
...................................................
Steering in Emergencies .......................................... 161
...............................................
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze ...................................... 170
Driving a Long Distance
........................................... 174
..................................................
...................................................
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Your Driving and the Road
Road Signs
The road signs you see everywhere are
coded by color, shape and symbols. It's
a good idea to know these codes
so that
you can quickly grasp the basic meaning or intent of the sign even before
you
have a chance to read it.
STOP1
1
STOP DO NOT WRONG
ENTER WAY
Color of Road Signs
Red means Stop. It may also indicate
that some movement is not allowed.
Examples are
Do Not Enter and Wrong
Way.
heen is used to guide the driver. Green
igns may indicate upcoming freeway
:xits or show the direction
you should
urn to reach a particular place.
RR ADVANCE NARROW NO PASSING
CROSSING BRIDGE ZONE
Yellow indicates a general warning.
Slow down and be careful when
you see
a yellow sign. It may signal a railroad
crossing ahead, a no-passing
zone, or
some other potentially dangerous situation. Likewise, a yellow solid line
painted on the road means
Don't Cross.
HOSPITAL INFORMATION
Blue signs with white letters show
motorists' services.
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STOPII
LOW WORKERS FLAGGER
SHOULDER AHEAD AHEAD
Orange indicates road construction or Shape Of Road S@S
rnaincnance. You’ll want to slow down
when you see an orange sign, as part of
the road may be closed off or torn up.
And there may be workers and
maintenance vehicles around,
too.
CANOEING SWIMMING
Brown signs point out recreation areas
or points of historic or cultural interest. The shape
of the
sign will tell you
something, too.
An octagonal (eight-sided) sign means
Stop. It is always red with white letters.
A
triangle, pointed downward, indicates
Yield. It assigns the right of way to
traffic
on certain approaches to an
intersection. A
diamond-shaped sign is a warning
of
something ahead-for example, a curve,
steep hill,
soft shoulder, or a narrow
bridge.
A triangular sign also is used on two-
lane roads to indicate a
No Passing
Zone. This sign will be on the left side
of the roadway.
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Your Uriving and the Road
KEEP LEFT OR RIGHT TURN
RIGHT THROUGH ONLY
Shape of Road Signs (CONI:)
Rectangular (square or oblong) signs
show speed limits, parking regulations,
give directions, and such information as
distances to cities.
I
Symbols on Road Signs
There are many international road signs
in use today.
NO U NO TURN
PARKING BICYCLES NO
The basic message of many of these
signs is in pictures or graphic symbols.
A picture within a circle with a diagonal
line across it shows what
not to do.
Traffic Lights
We’re all familiar with traffic lights or
stop lights. Often green arrows are being
used in the lights for improved traffic
control. On some multilane roads, green
arrows light up, indicating that traffic
in
one or more lanes can move or make a
turn. Green arrows don’t mean “go no
matter what.” You’ll still need to
proceed with caution, yielding
the right
of way to pedestrians and sometimes to
other vehicles.
Some traffic lights also use red arrows
to signify that you must stop before
turning on red.
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REVERSIBLE LANE ON MULTllANE ROADWAY
Many city roads and expressways, and
even bridges,
use reversible-lane traffic
control during rush hours.
A red X light
above a lane means
no driving in that
lane at that time.
A green arrow means
you may drive in that lane. Look for the
signs posted to warn drivers what hours
and days these systems are in effect.
bur 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
NO PASSING ZONE
Pavement Markings
Pavement markings add to traffic signs
and signals. They give information
to
drivers without taking attention from the
roadway. A solid yellow line on your
side
of the road or lane means Don’t
Cross.
in some places the iaw requires driver
signals.
“urn 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 the
Index under Hazard
Warning Flashers.
Tm#k 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 section discusses some of the
road conditions
you may encounter.
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Your Driving and the Road
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about
driving is: Drive defensively.
Please
start with a very important safety
device in your Pontiac: Buckle up. (See
the
Index under Safev 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 to
run stop 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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Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a national
tragedy. It’s the number one contributor
to the highwizy death toll, claiming
thousands of victims every year.
Alcohol takes away three things that
anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Police records show that half of all
motor vehicle-related deaths involve
alcohol-a driver,
a passenger or
someone else, such
as a pedestrian, had
been drinking. In most cases, these
deaths are the result of someone
who
was drinking and driving. Over 25,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each
year because
o€ alcohol, and thousands
of people are injured. Just
how much alcohol is too much
if a
person plans to drive? Ideally, no one
should drink alcohol and then drive. But
if one does, then what’s ‘900 much”? It
can
be a lot less than many might think.
Although it depends an each person and
situation, here is some general
information
on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Content
(BAC) of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
The drinker’s body weight.
The amount of food that is consumed
before and during drinking.
The length of time it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol. According to
the American Medical
Association,
a 18.O-pound (82 kg) person
who
drinks three 12-ounce (355 ml)
bottles of beer in an hour will end up
with a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The
person would reach the same
BAC by
drinking thee 4-ounce
(120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each
had
1% ounces (45 rnl) of a liquor like
whiskey, gin or vodka.
It’s the amount
of alcohol that counts.
For example, if the
same person drank
three double martinis
(3 ounces or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour,
the person’s
BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who consumes
food just before or during drinking will
have
a slightly lower BAC level.
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