1997 GMC SAVANA mirror

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
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2-28 Keys
Door Locks
Keyless Entry System
Your Doors and
How They Work
Theft
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Switch Starting Your Gasoline Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (Option) Automatic Transmission Operation
Locking Rear Axle
Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked 2-29
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2-6 1 Windows
Horn
Tilt
Wheel (Option)
Turn Signalhlultifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Cigarette LightedAshtrays Sun Visors
Instrument Panel Instrument Cluster
Speedometer
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
Electronic Road-Speed Governor
(Gasoline Engines) (Option)
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
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Mirrors
Inside Mirror
Push or pull the tab under the mirror to reduce glare
from headlamps behind you after dark.
Outside Mirrors
Adjust your outside mirrors so you can just see the
side
of your vehicle, and have a clear view of objects
behind you. Some mirrors can be folded in
ta enter
narrow doorways.
Electric Outside Rearview Mirrors (Option)
If you have electric mirrors, they can be adjusted to
point where you want from inside the vehicle.
to move by rotating the
switch clockwise
to adjust
the passenger side mirror
and counterclockwise
to adjust the driver side
mirror.
The center
position is neutral.
Then, adjust the mirror angle by pressing the outer
arrows on the switch until the mirror is adjusted where
you want it.
Your electric outside
rearview mirrors can
be
defrosted by pressing the
switch next to the heater
controls. (See "Comfort
Controls" in the Index).
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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.
CAUTION:
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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
Your front storage compartment is at the center of the
instrument panel extension,
by the floor. To open the
compartment, push down
on the handle and pull out.
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NOTICE:
Holding a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating can make it overload,
damaging the lighter and the heating element.
Just push the lighter all the way in and let
go.
When it’s done, it will pop back by itself.
To remove the front ashtray, pull up on the tab with a
key or screwdriver inserted in the tab, and lift the
ashtray out.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them from side to side. Your visors have
elastic straps
you can use to hold items such as maps.
Visor Vanity Mirror (Option)
Some visors have illuminated mirrors on them. Pull the
visor down and lift the mirror cover
(if there is one), to
use the mirror.
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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.)
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.
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little
to the right.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
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 vehicle’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.
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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.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
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.
In 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
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 suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware of it.
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Freeway Driving
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.
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.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder
to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
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