Page 96 of 340
Rearview Mirror Reading Lamps Roof Console Reading Lamps (Option)
These lamps are part of the optional roof console. They
will
go on when you open the doors. When the doors are
closed, push the button
to turn the lamp 011 and off.
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Dome Lamp Mirrors
Adjust all the mirrors so you can see clearly when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
The dome lamp will go on when you open the doors.
Next
to the dome lamp are two reading lamps. Turn
them on using the switches. To
reduce glare from lamps behind you, move the lever
to the night position.
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Manual Outside Mirrors
Adjust the right mirror by hand. To adjust the left
mirror, move the knob
in the direction you want to move
the mirror.
Power Outside Mirrors (Option)
The electric mirror control
is on the driver’s door. Turn
the control
to the left to
adjust the left mirror or to
the right to adjust the right
mirror. Then move the
control
in the direction you
want
to move the mirror.
After you adjust the mirrors, turn the control to the
center position to
turn it off.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex.
A convex mirror’s surface is curved so you can see more
from the driver’s seat.
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Accessory Outlet
If your vehicle has a center console, you have a 12-volt
outlet. It
is on the passenger side, near the floor. Open
the cover to use the outlet.
NOTICE:
Adding some electrical equipment to your vehicle
can damage
it or keep other things from working
as they should. This wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Check with your dealer before adding
electrical equipment and never use anything
requiring more than
20 amps.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also move them from side to side. The visors have
extenders that you
can pull out.
Visor Vanity Mirrors
Open the cover to expose the vanity mirror. If your
vehicle has the optional lighted
vanity mirrors, the
lamps come on when you open the cover.
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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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Freeway Driving The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up
with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of
the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on
a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway.
If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic. Try
to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try
to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once
you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Mile for mile, freeways
(also called thruways, parkways, Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly Over your
eXpreSSWayS, turnpikes, Or superhighways) are the Safest
shoulder to make Sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
of all roads. But they have their own special rules. “blind” spot.
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