
Power  Outside  Mirrors 
The power  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. 
A CAUTION: 
A convex  mirror  can  make  things  (like  other 
vehicles)  look  farther  away  than  they  really  are.  If  you  cut  too  sharply  into  the  right  lane,  you 
could  hit 
a vehicle  on  your  right.  Check  your 
inside  mirror 
or glance  over  your  shoulder  before 
changing  lanes. 
Storage  Compartments 
Glove  Box 
Use  the door  key  to  lock  and  unlock  the  glove box. To 
open, lift the latch. 
Storage  Armrest 
If  you have a  bench seat, you  will  have a storage  armrest 
in  front.  To use  the storage area, fold  down the armrest. 
Press  the latch 
on the front  edge and  pull  up.  To use the 
cupholder,  flip it forward. 
2-37  

I 
Sun Visors 
To block out glare,  you  can  swing  down  the  visors. You 
can  also  move  them  from side to side. 
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. 
, 
Accessory Outlet 
If your  vehicle  has a center console,  you  have a 12-volt 
outlet.  It is  on  the passenger's  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  retailer  before  adding 
electrical  equipment  and  never  use  anything  requiring  more  than 
20 amps. 
~~ 
2-40  

0 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.) 
0 Try not  to  pass  more  than  one  vehicle  at  a  time  on 
two-lane  roads.  Reconsider  before  passing  the 
next  vehicle. 
0 Don’t  overtake  a  slowly  moving  vehicle  too  rapidly. 
Even  though  the  brake  lamps  are not  flashing,  it may 
be  slowing  down  or starting  to  turn. 
0 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 
Oldsmobile’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.  

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. 
4-13  

Here are some tips  on  night  driving. 
0 Drive  defensively. 
0 Don’t drink and  drive. 
0 Adjust  your  inside  rearview  mirror  to  reduce  the 
0 Since  you  can’t  see  as well,  you  may  need  to slow 
glare 
from headlamps  behind  you. 
down  and  keep  more  space  between  you  and 
other  vehicles. 
0 Slow  down,  especially  on higher  speed  roads.  Your 
headlamps  can light 
up only so much  road  ahead. 
0 In  remote  areas,  watch  for animals. 
If  you’re  tired,  pull off the road  in  a  safe  place 
and  rest. 
Night Vision 
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 
headlamps.  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  headlamps. 
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. 
No one  can  see  as well at night  as  in  the  daytime.  But  as  Remember  that  your  headlamps  light  up  far  less  of  a 
we  get  older  these  differences  increase.  A  50-year-old  roadway  when  you 
are in  a  turn  or curve.  Keep  your 
driver  may  require  at least  twice  as much  light  to  see  the  eyes  moving;  that  way,  it’s  easier  to  pick  out  dimly 
same  thing  at night  as a  ‘20-year-old.  lighted  objects.  Just  as  your  headlamps  should 
be 
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 
even aware of it. 
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 
1 
4-14  

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, 
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways)  are  the safest 
of all roads.  But they  have their  own special rules. 
4-19  

Highway  Hypnosis 
Is  there  actually  such a condition  as  “highway  hypnosis”? 
Or is it  just  plain  falling  asleep  at the wheel?  Call  it 
highway  hypnosis,  lack  of  awareness,  or  whatever. 
There  is something about an  easy stretch  of road  with 
the  same  scenery,  along with the hum  of the  tires on’  the 
road,  the  drone  of the  engine,  and the rush  of the  wind 
against the vehicle that  can make  you  sleepy.  Don’t  let 
it happen to  you! 
If it does,  your vehicle can leave the 
road  in 
less than  a second, and  you  could crash  and 
be  injured. 
What can  you do about  highway  hypnosis? First, 
be 
aware that it can happen. 
Then here  are some  tips: 
, 
0 Make sure  your vehicle  is well ventilated,  with a 
comfortably cool interior. 
Hill  and  Mountain  Road’s 
Your moving’ Scan the road ahead and to Driving on steep hills or  mountains is  different  from 
the sides. Check  your rearview mirrors and your 
instruments  frequently.  driving 
in flat  or rolling  terrain. 
If  you get sleepy,  pull  off  the road into a rest, service 
or  parking  area and take a nap,  get some exercise, or 
both. For  safety, treat drowsiness  on the  highway  as 
an  emergency.  

Before you start, check the trailer hitch  and platform 
(and  attachments), safety chains, electrical  connector, 
lamps, tires  and mirror adjustment. 
If the trailer  has 
electric brakes,  start your  vehicle and trailer  moving  and 
then  apply  the trailer brake controller  by  hand  to  be sure 
the  brakes are  working. This lets you check  your 
electrical connection  at  the  same time. 
During your trip, check occasionally  to  be sure that the 
load is secure,  and  that the lamps  and  any  trailer brakes 
are still working. 
Following  Distance 
Stay at  least twice  as  far behind  the vehicle  ahead  as  you 
would  when  driving your vehicle  without  a trailer.  This 
can help  you avoid situations that require  heavy  braking 
and  sudden turns. 
Passing 
You’ll  need  more passing  distance  up  ahead  when 
you’re,  towing a  trailer.  And,  because you’re a  good deal 
longer,  you’ll need  to  go much  farther  beyond  the 
passed  vehicle before  you can return  to  your lane. 
Backing Up 
Hold the bottom  of the  steering  wheel  with  one hand. 
Then,  to move  the trailer  to the  left,  just  move  that  hand 
to  the left.  To move  the trailer  to  the right, move  your 
hand  to the  right.  Always  back 
up slowly  and, if 
possible, have someone guide you. 
Making  Turns 
NOTICE: 
Making  very  sharp  turns  while  trailering  could 
cause  the  trailer  to come,  in  contact  with  the 
vehicle.  Your vehicle  could  be  damaged.  Avoid 
making  very  sharp  turns  while  trailering. 
When  you’re  turning  with  a trailer,  make  wider  turns 
than  normal.  Do  this 
‘so your trailer  won’tstrike  soft 
shoulders, curbs,  road signs, trees or other objects. 
Avoid  jerky or sudden  maneuvers.  Signal well 
in  advance. 
4-33