1999 CHEVROLET VENTURE brake

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Turning the dial to this setting turns on the
headlamps, together with:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

Instrument Panel Lights
Turning the dial to this setting turns off all the lamps
and lights.
Lamps On Reminder
If the driver's door is opened and you turn the ignition
to OFF or LOCK while leaving the lamps on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work, so be sure it isn't covered. The DRL system
will make front parking and turn signal lamps come on
in daylight when:

The ignition is on,

the headlamp switch is off and

the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your front parking and turn
signal lamps will be on. Your instrument panel won't be
lit up.

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When it's dark enough outside, the exterior lamps will
come on automatically. When it's bright enough outside,
the exterior lamps will go out and the DRL will turn on.
Of course, you may still turn on the headlamps any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF or LOCK. Then start
the vehicle. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
Turn the control, located below the headlamps switch,
clockwise to increase the brightness of the instrument
panel lights, and counterclockwise to decrease the
brightness. Turn the control all the way
counterclockwise to turn them off.
Interior Lamps Control
Turn the dial all the way clockwise to turn on the
interior lamps, if the interior lamps override switch is
off. Turn the dial counterclockwise to turn the lamps off.
Interior Lamps Override Switch
This switch is located in the
overhead console
switchbank. Press the
symbol on the bottom of the
switch to override control of
the interior lamps and turn
off power to the courtesy
lamps, reading lamps and
glove box lamp.
Press the top of the interior lamps override switch to
turn power back on to the interior lamps. This will allow
the lamps to stay on when any door is open.

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2-90Brake System Warning Light
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on when you set your parking brake. The light
will stay on if your parking brake doesn't release fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully released, it
means you have a brake problem.
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.
United States Canada
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If it doesn't come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there's a problem.If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See ªAnti
-Lock Brake
System Warning Lightº and ªTowing Your Vehicleº in
the Index.)
CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you've
pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.

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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and it will stay on
for three seconds.
That's normal.
If the light comes on when you're driving, you don't
have anti
-lock brakes and there could be a problem with
your regular brakes. Pull off the road and stop carefully.
You may notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the
pedal may go closer to the floor. It may take longer to
stop. Have the vehicle towed for service. (See ªTowing
Your Vehicleº in the Index.)
CAUTION:
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti
-lock brake system warning
light is on. Driving with the anti
-lock brake
system warning light on can lead to an accident.
After you've pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you've started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you're driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you're driving, your vehicle needs service. If the
light is on and the regular brake system warning light
isn't on, you still have brakes, but you don't have
anti
-lock brakes.
The anti
-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.

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2-92Traction Control System Warning
Light (Option)
This warning light should
come on briefly as you start
the engine.
If the warning light doesn't come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there's a problem. If it
stays on, or comes on when you're driving, there may be
a problem with your traction control system and your
vehicle may need service. When this warning light is on,
the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:

If there's a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.

If the traction control system is affected by an
engine
-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.

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Low Traction Light (Option)
If your vehicle has the
traction control system,
there will be a LOW
TRACTION light on the
instrument panel.
When your traction control system is limiting wheel
spin, the LOW TRACTION light will come on. Slippery
road conditions may exist if this light comes on, so
adjust your driving accordingly. The light will come on
and stay on for four seconds when your anti
-lock system
adjusts brake pressure for less than four seconds or
when your traction control system limits wheel spin for
less than four seconds. Otherwise, the light will go out
as soon as the anti
-lock system stops adjusting brake
pressure or the traction control system stops limiting
wheel spin.
The LOW TRACTION light also comes on briefly, as a
bulb check, when the engine is started. If the light
doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be there to
tell you when the system is active.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
This light will come on
when your engine gets
too hot.
If this light comes on, it means that your engine coolant
has overheated. If you have been operating your vehicle
under normal driving conditions, you should pull off the
road, stop your vehicle and turn off the engine as soon
as possible.
In ªProblems on the Road,º this manual shows what
to do. See ªEngine Overheatingº in the Index.

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Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. (See ªSafety Beltsº in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear
-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It's the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving
task
-- such as concentrating on a cellular telephone
call, reading, or reaching for something on the
floor
-- makes proper defensive driving more difficult
and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury.
Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or pull off
the road in a safe place to do them yourself. These
simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.

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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go 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.
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; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.