1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX Owners Manual

Notes
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Part 4
Here you'^ 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 ........................................................................\
....................... - ..... .........- 138
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Drunken Driving
. . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Braking
........................................................................\
......................................... 146
Anti-Lock Brakes
.... . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. ... . ... . . ... ...... .. ... . . . .. 147
Steering
Tips ........................................................................\
................................ 152
Steering Emergencies. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .... ... . . . . . . . . .. . ...... . . ... . . 153
Passing.. . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -. . . . . . . . 154
Driving at Night
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. ... . .. 157
Driving in the Rain
. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . .. .. . .... . . . . . . , .. .... . .... . 159
Driving Fog, Mist and Haze ............................................ ..................... ,. . ............ 162
City Drlvmg.. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Freeway Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving a Long Distance
........................................................................\
................. 166
Hill and Mountain Roads
........................................................................\
................ 168
Parlcing on Hills .... ..... . ..... . .. ... ... . .. ... .. . .. ....... ... . . ... , . . .. . ... .... . . ... . . . ... . ... . . . ... . ... . .... .. . ..... . . 169
Winter Driving .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . ... . . .. . ..... ... . . . . . . ,. .. . . ... .. . . . .. .. 171
Towing a Trailer..
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -. . . . . . . 174
Control
of a Vehicle
..
.. .
..
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I..
Your Driving and the Road
Roadsigns
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.
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, Wrong
Way, or No Parking.
Green is used to guide the driver. Green
signs may indicate upcoming freeway
exits or show the direction you should
turn 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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STOP]
LOW SHOULDER WORKERS AHEAD FLAGGER AHEAD
Orange indicates road construction or
maintenance. 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.
Shape of Road Signs
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 Driving and the Road
I X
KEEP RIGHT LEFT OR THROUGH RIGHT TURN ONLY
Rectangular (square or oblong) signs
show speed limits, parking regulations,
give directions, and such information as
distances to cities.
Symbols on Road Signs
There are many international road signs
in use today.
NO u TURN NO PARKING NO
BICYCLES
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 MULTILANE 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.
I
I
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.
Your 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
in some places the law requires driver
signals.
Turn 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.
Traffic 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.
141
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Yolur 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 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.
142
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 highway 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 of 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 “too
much”? It can be
a lot less than many
might think. Although it depends on
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 drinlung.
The length of time it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol.
I
According to the American Medi’cal
Association,
a 180-pound [82 kg)
person who
drinks three 12-ounce
(355 mi) 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 three 4-ounce
(120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed
drinks
if each had ll/z ounces (45 ml)
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 rnl 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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