1995 BUICK REGAL Owners Manual

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 colnputer 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.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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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 feel the system
working, or
you may notice some noise, but this is
normal. When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake
pressure to help avoid a braking skid, the
LOW TRAC
light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake System
Active Light”
in the Index.
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.
Steering
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.
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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.
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 Buick can perform very well
in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking
in
Emergencies” earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left
or
right depending on the space available.
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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.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a
good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up
to 114 turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn
your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
OFF ROAD RECOVERY
SLOW DOWN
edge of paved surface
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Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on
a two-lane
highway is
a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error
in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly pst
the passing driver face to face with the
worst of
all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides, and
to crossroads for situations that might affect your
passing patterns.
If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making
a successful pass, wait for a better time.
0 Watch for traffic signs, pavernent markings, and
lines. If you can see
a sign up ahead that might
indicate
a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A
broken center line usually indicates it’s all right to
pass (providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross
a solid line on your side of the lane or a double solid
line, even if
the road seems empty of approaching
traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following
too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially
if you’re following a larger vehicle. Also,
you won’t have adequate space if the vehicle ahead
suddenly slows
or stops. Keep back a reasonable
distance.
0 When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start
to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close.
Time your move so you will be
increasing speed
as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way
is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And
if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only
slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
0 If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying
to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
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Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back
into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem
to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are
not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver
to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease
a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road
to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area
of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions.
But skids are always
possible.
The three
types of skids correspond to your Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid,
too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And
in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
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A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on
the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving
to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving
on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking by shifting
to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may
not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface”
-- and slow down
when
you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid
only the braking skid.
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.
0 Drive defensively.
0 Don’t drink and drive.
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e
0
0
0
0
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and other
vehicles.
Slow down, especially
on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up
only so much road ahead.
Jn 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 headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible. 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 headlamps),
slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the
approaching lights.
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. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils
of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that
your headlamps 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 headlamps 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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