1995 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

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 affects
four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
a Vision
Attentiveness
Police records show that almost
half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol.
In most cases,
these deaths
are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, some 18,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under
21, it’s
against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There
are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons
for these laws.
The obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much” if the
driver plans
to drive? It’s 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 Concentration (BAC)
of someone
who
is drinking depends upon four things:
How much alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
the alcohol
The length of time it’s taken the drinker to consume
According to the American
Medical Association, a
180-pound (82 kg) person who drinks thee 12-ounce
(355 ml) 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 d) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
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It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3 ounces
or
90 ml 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
somewhat lower BAC level.
There
is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men.
Since alcohol
is carried in body water, this means that a
woman generally will reach
a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when each has the same
number
of drinks.
The law in many
U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of 0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, the lirnit is 0.08 percent. In some
other countries it’s even lower. The BAC limit for
all
commercial drivers in the US. is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour).
Of course, as we’ve seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how
quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is aected 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 a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of
this driver having a collision is twelve times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is twenty-five times
greater!
The body takes about
an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one
drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
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showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden actian, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate 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, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or
heart.
This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle g~ 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.
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Braking
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 km/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
bralung. 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 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.
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Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Pontiac has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent a braking skid.
This light on the
instrument panel will
come
on briefly when
When
you start your vehicle and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake
system will check itself. You may
hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while this is
going on and
you may even notice that your brake pedal
moves a little.
This is normal. 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. 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.
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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.
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 a motor or
clicking noise during a hard stop, 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 and managing engine
spark) to limit wheel spin.
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.)
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When the system is on, the
TRACTION OW warning
light will come
on to let you
60w if there’s a problem
with your traction control
To turn the system off, press
the TRACTION
CONTROL button located
on the console next
to the
gear shift selector.
See “Traction
Control System Warning Light” in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system
will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you
start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can
turn the
traction control system
off if you ever need to. (You
should
turn the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow. See ‘‘Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.) The
TRACTION OFF warning
light will come on and
stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin when you
press
the button, the system won’t turn off right away. It
will waif until there’s no longer a current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The TRACTION OFF warning light
should
go off.
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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.
Variable Effort Steering
If your vehicle is equipped with this option, you have a
variable
effort steering system that eases steering effort
at speeds less than 20 mph (32 km/h). This is
particularly useful when parking your vehicle.
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. Unless you have traction control and the system
is on, 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.
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