1997 CADILLAC SEVILLE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine in sand, mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking Your Vehicle”
in the Index.)
To turn the system off, press
the
TRAC OFF button
located inside
of the
I
glove box.
The
TRACTION OFF message will display on the
Driver Information Center.
If the system is limiting
wheel spin when you press the button, the
TRACTION
OFF message will display -- but the system won’t turn
off right away. It will wait 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 READY message
should display briefly
on the Driver Information Center. 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.
eeri
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.
Your vehicle may
be equipped with GM MAGNASTEER,
a system that continuously adjusts the effort you feel when
steering at all vehicle speeds. It provides ease when
parking
yet a film. solid feel at highway speeds.

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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. Refer to
‘Traction Control System” in the Index. 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.
If you have the Seville STS, you may see the
STABILITY SI’S ENGAGED message on the Driver
Information Center. See “Stability Engaged Message” in
the Index.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 fr~1-11 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 roonl.
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. (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.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped off the edge of
a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving. The
driver
of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates. niO\’es around the vehicle ahead. then goes
back into the right
lane again. A simple maneuver?
QUARTER TURN
edge of paved surface
I ”’
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement. recovely 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 one-quarter hum until the
right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then him your
steering wheel
to go straight down the roadway. 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 put the passing driver face to
face with the
worst of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
0 “Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and to
crossroads for situations that night affect your passing
patterns.
If you have any doubt whatsoever about
making a successful pass, wait for
a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement 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 cl-oss
a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even
if the road seems empty of approaching traffic.

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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.
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.
If other cars are fined 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.
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
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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 lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down
or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
folIowing driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
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 ttying
to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine In a skid, a driver can lose mntrol of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by talung 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 Cadillac’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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid
only the acceleration skid.
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If your traction control system is off, then an
acceleration skid
is also 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.
If you have the Seville STS, you may see the
STABILITY SYS ENGAGED message on the Driver
Information Center. See “Stability Engaged Message”
in
the Index.
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 1-imited.
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 lowsr
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.
E oear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid
only the braking skid.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Don’t drink and drive.
0 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. E’our
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
0 In remote areas, watch for animals.
0 If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.

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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 nuke 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.
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 sufkr from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware of it.