1994 CADILLAC DEVILLE brake

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
DRUNKElN DRWZNG
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 almost half
of all motor vehicle-related deaths
pedestrian, had been drinking. In most cases, these deaths are the result
of someone who was drinking and driving. About 20,000 motor
vehicle-related deaths occur each year because
of alcohol, and thousands
of people are injured.
~ involve alcohol - a driver, a passenger or someone else, such as a
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 drinking.
The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine person with a higher BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to
avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and drivifig 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 who 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 beendrinking.
And we’ve already seen that the chance of a crash itself is higher for
drinking drivers.
CONTROL OFA 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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
h/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.
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.
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. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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)
Your Cadillac has an advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent skidding.
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 there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, the
anti-lock brake system warning light will stay
on.
See “Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light” in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet. You’re driving
safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one of the wheels is
about to stop rolling, the computer will separately work 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.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: 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 brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or
stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down and let anti-lock
work for you. You may hear the anti-lock pump or motor operate, and
feel the brake pedal pulsate, but this is normal.
Traction Control System (Option)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that limits wheel spin.
This is especially useful
in slippery road conditions. The system operates
only
if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the system works the front
brakes and reduces engine power (by shutting
off fuel injectors) to limit
wheel spin.
The “TRACTION ACTIVE” message will display on the Driver
Information Center when
the traction control system is limiting wheel
spin. See “Driver Information Center Messages” in the Index.
You may
feel the system working, or you may notice some noise, but this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction control system begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When
road conditions allow you
to safely use it again, you may re-engage the
cruise control. (See “Cruise Control”
in the Index.)
The “TRACTION DISABLED” message will display on the Driver
Information Center if there’s a problem with your traction control system.
See “Driver Information Center Messages” in the Index. When this
message is displayed, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to. With anti-lock, you
can steer and brake at the same time. In many emergencies, steering can
help
you more than even the very best braking.
STEEMNG
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system is
not functioning, you can steer but it
will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news
happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each
of us is subject to the same laws of
physics when driving on curves. The traction of the tires against the road
surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice,
you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get
in a curve depends on the condition of your tires
and
the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor
you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you suddenly
accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and acceleration -- have to do
their work where the tires meet the road. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too much
of those places. You can lose control.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the accelerator
pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on good weather and road
conditions. Under less favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do it before
you enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of the
curve, and then accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, or a
car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right
in front of you. You can avoid these problems
by braking
-- if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
-- steering around the problem.
Your Cadillac can perform
very well in emergencies like these. First apply
your brakes. It is better to remove as much speed as yowan from a
possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If
you are holding the steering wheel at the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock
positions, you can turn it a full
180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly
straighten the wheel once you have avoided the object. r
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