1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX Owners Manual

Your Driving and the Road
Drunken Driving (CONT.)
The law in most U.S. 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),
144
Of course, as we’ve seen, it depends on
how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quickly 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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“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when
a child
darts into the street? A person with a
higher BAC might not be able to react
quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking
and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse. That’s especially
true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that if anyone whc
has been drinking-driver or
passenger-is in a crash, the chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than if that person had not been
drinking. And we’ve already seen that the
chance of a crash itself is higher for
drinking drivers.
LAU I IUN
A Drinking and then driving is
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.
3 very dangerous. Your
I
L
P
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your
vehicle
go where you want it to go.
They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work at the places where the
tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving
on
snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more of
those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means
you can
lose control
of your vehicle.
1
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Your Driving and the Road
. .-
8raking
Braking action involves perception time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s
perception time.
Then you have to bring up your foot
and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a
second. But that’s only an average.
It
might be less with one driver and as
long
as two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and eyesight all
play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 lun/h)
travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a
lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your
vehicle and others
is important.
146
~~ ~~ -
And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet,
dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition of
your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with
care. Some, however, overwork the
braking system with poor driving habits.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some
people drive in spurts-heavy
acceleration followed by heavy
braking-rather than keeping pace
with traffic.
This is a mistake. Your
brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops.
Your brakes will
wear out much faster if you do a lot of
heavy braking.
Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting
your left foot rest lightly on the brake
pedal while driving.
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‘Riding” your brakes can
:ause them to overheat to t
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
&--
Avoid “riding” the brake-. 3
I’
rs wears them 1 ”)- 2.’;
out much faster. You would need 253
costly brake replacement much 35
sooner than normal, and it also ?$:
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If you keep pace with the traffic 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 Pontiac 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.
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ma.
Your Driving and the Road
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 ltm/h) or
until you take your foot off the brake
pedal.
After
an ABS stop, you may hear a
clicking noise the next time the vehicle
goes about 4 mph (6 ltdh).
148
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
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.
of you.
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I
You can steer around the obstacle while To Use Anti-Lock Don’t pump the
braking hard.
brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
As you brake, your computer keeps and
let anti-lock work for you. You also
receiving updates on wheel speed and
may hear a cliclting noise as you
controls braking pressure accordingly. accelerate
after a hard stop.
Anti-lock doesn’t change the
time you need to get your
foot up to the brake pedal. If you
get too close to the vehicle in front
of you,
you won’t have time to
apply your braltes
if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough
room up ahead to
stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Your Pontiac has four-wheel disc
braltes. Disc brake pads have built-in
wear indicators that make a high-
pitched warning sound when the brake
pads are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound may come and go,
or be
heard all the time your vehicle
is moving
(except when you are pushing on the
brake pedal firmly).
I
A The brake wear warnin&
sound means that sooner
or
later your brakes won’t work well,
That could lead
to an accident.
When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have
your vehicle
serviced.
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Your Driving and the Road
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
(COWT.)
NOTICE
Continuing to drive with worn-out
brake pads could result in costly
brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates
may cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something
is wrong
with your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced
as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does
not return to normal height, or
if there
is a rapid increase in pedal travel. This
could be a sign
of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake
stop, your disc brakes adjust for wear. If
you rarely make a moderate or heavier
stop, then your brakes might not adjust
correctly. If you drive in that way,
then-very carefully-make a few
moderate brake stops about every
1,000
miles (1 600 km) , so your brakes will
adjust properly.
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Braking In Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard
braking. If you have anti-lock, you can
steer and brake at the same time.
However, if you don’t have anti-lock,
your first reaction-to hit the brake
pedal hard and hold it down-may be
the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the
vehicle can’t respond to your steering.
Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it
was headed when the
wheels stopped rolling. That could be
off the road, into the very thing you
were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a
“squeeze” braking technique. This will give you
maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You do
this by pushing on the brake pedal with
steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency you will probably want
to “squeeze” the brakes hard without
locking the wheels. If you hear or feel
the wheels sliding, ease off the brake
pedal. This will help you retain steering
control. (If you
do have anti-lock, it’s
different: see the
Index under Anti-Lock
Brake System.)
In many emergencies,
steering can help you more than even
the very best braking.
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist
because the engine stops or the system
fails to function, you can steer but it
will take much more effort.
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