1993 PONTIAC GRAND-AM night vision

Your Driving and the Road
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.
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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.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the
daytime. But as we get older these
differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night
as a 20-year-old.
What you do
in the daytime can also
affect your night vision. For example, if
you spend 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
remain 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
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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 flicking yours
to high and then back to low beam. This
is the usual signal to lower the headlight
beams. If the other driver still doesn’t lower the beams, resist the temptation to
put your high beams on. This only
makes two half-blinded drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams only
in remote areas where you won’t impair
approaching drivers. In some places,
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.
A Few More Night Driving
Suggestions
Keep your windshield and all the glass
on your vehicle clean-inside and out.
Glare at night is made much worse by
dirt on the glass. Even the inside
of the
glass can build up a film caused by dust.
Tobacco smoke also makes inside glass
surfaces very filmy and can be a vision
hazard
if it’s left there.
Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and
flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils
of your eyes contract
repeatedly. You might even want to keep
a cloth and some glass cleaner in your
vehicle if you need to clean your glass
frequently.
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Your Driving and the Road
A &w More Night Driving
Suggestions
(CONTJ
Remember that your headlights light up
far
less of a roadway when you are in a
turn or curve.
Keep your eyes moving; that way,
it’s
easier to pick out dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be
checked regularly for proper aim,
so
should your eyes be examined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night
blindness-the inability to see
in dim
light-and aren’t even aware
of it.
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Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can mean driving
trouble. On a wet road you can’t stop,
accelerate or
turn as well because your
tire-to-road traction isn’t as good
as on
dry roads.
And, if your tires don’t have
much tread left, you’ll get even less
traction.
It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you
are driving. The surface may get wet
suddenly when your reflexes are tuned
for driving on
dry pavement.
The heavier the
rain, the harder it is to
see. Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even people
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 fdled. 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.
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your urwlng and the Road
Highway Hypnosis (CONI)
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road
ahead and to the sides. Check your
rearview mirrors frequently and your
instruments from time to time. This
can help you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light.
Glare can cause drowsiness. But don’t
wear sunglasses at night. They will
drastically reduce your overall vision
at the very time you need all the
seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into
a rest, service, or parking area and
take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness on the
highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace
with traffic and allow adequate
following distances.
I CAUTION
d
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain. If
you drive regularly in steep
country, or
if you’re planning to visit
there, here are
some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to know
is this: let
your engine do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes
do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when
you go
down a steep or long hill. That way,
you will slow down without excessive
use of your brakes.
A
If you don’t shift down, your
brakes could get
so hot that
they wouldn’t work well.
You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
could crash. Shift down to let your
engine assist your brakes on
a
steep downhill slope.
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Locks ......................... 45
Automatic Door Lock
......... -46
Rear Door Security Locks
....... 47
Low Battery
................... 171
Low Oil Pressure Warning
..... .93, 94
Lubricants
& Fluids ......... .253, 276
Lumbar Support
.................. 9
Long Distance Driving
........... 150
Maintenace Record
............ 278
Maintenance Schedule
.......... 259
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
....... 98
Manual Front Seat ................ 8
Manual Lumbar Support ........... 9
Manual 4-Way Adjustable Seat ...... 9
Manual Transaxle
Adding Fluid
....... .220. 251. 253
Checking Fluid
................ 218
Parking
...................... 66
Shifting ..................... 60
Starting Your Engine ........... 52
Upshift Indicator Light
..... .62, 98
Master Cylinder, Brake .......... 225
Methanol in Gasoline
........... 201
Maintenance Services. Scheduled
... 262
Mileage Indicator
Mirrors (see
Odometer & Speedometer)
Inside
Manual Day/Night ........ 81
Manual Remote Control ........ 82
Convex Outside
............... 81
Power Remote Control ......... 82
Mountain Driving
.............. 152
New Car “Break-In”
Requirements
............ .50. 161
Night Driving
................. 142
Night Vision
.................. 142
octane Requirements
(see
Fuel Requirements)
Odometer & Speedometer ......... 90
Off-Road Recovery
............. 13 8
Oil. Engine ................... 209
Pressure Gage
................ 95
Quality
..................... 210
Thickness
................... 211
Used Oil
.................... 214
When to Change
.............. 213 Oil
Warning Light
............... 93
Operation
of Lights .............. 74
Outside Rearview Mirrors
........ 82
Overheated Engine
............. 179
Overheated Engine Coolant Warning Light
.............. 92
Owner Checks
& Services ........ 271
Parking On Hills
............... .154, 165
Over Things That Burn
......... 66
With the Engine Running
... .64. 67
Parking Brake
.................. 63
Park. Shifting Into
........... .57. 64
Passenger Belts (see
Safety Belts)
Passenger Side Cup HolderKtorage
Area
........................ 84
Passing
....................... 138
Polishing and Waxing
Power Door Locks
.............. 46
Power Mirrors
.................. 82
Power Seat Controls
.............. 9
Power Steering Fluid
............. .224. 252. 253
(see
Appearance
Care)
298
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