4-3 Vehicle Design
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation,
utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles. Utility vehicles do have a
higher ground clearance and a narrower track or shorter
wheelbase than passenger cars to make them more
capable for off
-road driving. Specific design
characteristics like these give the driver a better view of
the road, but also give utility vehicles a higher center of
gravity than other types of vehicles. This means that you
shouldn't expect a utility vehicle to handle the same way
a vehicle with a lower center of gravity, like a car, would
in similar situations. But driver behavior factors are far
more often the cause of a utility vehicle rollover than are
environmental or vehicle factors. Safe driver behavior
and understanding the environment in which you'll be
driving can help avoid a rollover crash in any type of
vehicle, including utility vehicles.
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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6-44
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted the
same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new GM original
equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to have the
right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts for your vehicle.
CAUTION:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be dangerous.
It could affect the braking and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air and make you
lose control. You could have a collision in which
you or others could be injured. Always use
the correct wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for replacement.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can also cause problems with
bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper
height, vehicle ground clearance and tire
clearance to the body and chassis.
See ªChanging a Flat Tireº in the Index for more
information.
Used Replacement Wheels
CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can't know how it's been used
or how far it's been driven. It could fail suddenly
and cause an accident. If you have to replace a
wheel, use a new GM original equipment wheel.
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