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SAFE DRIVING
In designing the Lancia Y, we made
every effort to come up with a car
able to provide driver and passengers
with top-class levels of safety. Never-
theless it is always the behaviour of
the person at the wheel that deter-
mines road safety.
Below you will find some simple tips
to help you travel in safety under dif-
ferent conditions. You will no doubt
be familiar with many of them al-
ready but it will be useful to read
them all carefully.BEFORE GETTING BEHIND
THE WHEEL
– Make sure all lights including the
headlights are working properly.
– Adjust the position of the seats,
steering wheel, driving and door mir-
rors properly for the best driving po-
sition.
– On long journeys, it is a good idea
to slightly alter the lumber support
and/or seat inclination to vary the
weight on the spine and therefore re-
duce tiredness and strain.
– Carefully adjust the head restraints
so the back of the head and not the
nape of the neck is supported.
– Carefully adjust the height of the
seat belts to suit the wearer’s stature
(see the instructions given in the sec-
tion “Getting to know your car - seat
belts”).
– Make sure that nothing (mats etc.)
get in the way of the pedals.– Make sure that any child restraint
systems (child seats, carriers, etc.) are
properly fixed to the rear seat. Follow
the indications given in “Transport-
ing children safely” in the section
“Getting to know your car”.
– Make sure that objects are care-
fully arranged in the boot so they will
not fly forward if you have to brake
sharply.
– Avord placing light-coloured arti-
cles or papers on the object tray which
may be reflected on the windscreen.
– Do not eat a heavy meal before
travelling. Light eating will help keep
your reflexes prompt. Above all, do
not have anything alcoholic to drink.
The use of some drugs may affect
your driving, read the relevant in-
structions sheet carefully.
Remember to periodically check
what is specified in the “Repeated
checks and checks before long trips”
paragraph given in this section.
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Consider the space re-
quired by extra mats: even
a small problem to the
braking system may indicate addi-
tional brake pedal stroke is re-
quired with respect to normal.
Water, ice and salt sprin-
kled on the road deposit
on the brake disc and re-
duce effectiveness the first time
you brake.
WHEN TRAVELLING
– The first rule of safe driving is pru-
dence.
– Prudence also means putting your-
self into a position where you can pre-
dict wrong or imprudent behaviour
from other drivers.
– Stick closely to the rules of the
road in the particular country where
the car is being driven and, above all,
do not exceed speed limits.
– Ensure that, besides yourself, all
the other passengers in the car have
their seat belts fastened, that children
are sitting in the appropriate child
seats and any animals are in special
compartments.
– You should be physically fit and
mentally alert before setting out on
long journeys.Driving when you are not
mentally alert, drunk, un-
der the influence of drugs
or certain medicines is dangerous
both for you and other road users.
Always fasten both front
and back seat belts in-
cluding child seat seat belt
if fitted. Travelling with the seat
belts unfastened increases the risk
of injury or death if you are in a
collision.
Pay attention when in-
stalling additional spoil-
ers, alloy wheel rims and
caps that are not standard. They
could reduce the brake ventilation
and as a consequence, the braking
efficiency if you brake suddenly
and repeatedly, or when driving
downhill.Do not drive with objects
on the floor in front of the
driver’s seat. Objects
could get stuck under the pedals
making accelerating and braking
impossible.
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– Only use main-beam headlights
when you are driving outside town
and when you are sure they do not
annoy other drivers.
– Dip your headlights (if on) as soon
as you see cars coming in the other di-
rection and pass them with the head-
lights dipped.
– Keep all lights clean.
– Be careful of animals crossing the
road when driving in the country.
DRIVING IN THE RAIN
Rain and wet road surfaces spell
danger.
All manoeuvres are more difficult on
a wet road because the grip of the
wheels on the tarmac is greatly re-
duced. This is why braking distances
are much longer and roadholding is
lower. DRIVING AT NIGHT
If you are driving at night these are
the main rules to follow:
– Drive especially carefully: it is
harder to drive at night.
– Slow down especially if the road is
not lit.
– At the first signs of sleepiness, stop:
continuing would be a risk for your-
self and everybody else. Only start
driving again when you have had
enough rest.
– Keep a greater safety distance
from the cars in front of you than
during daylight hours: it is hard to
judge how fast other cars are going
when all you can see are their lights.
– Make sure the headlight beams are
properly positioned: if they are too
low, they reduce visibility and strain
your eyes. If they are too high they
can dazzle other drivers. – Do not drive too many hours at a
time but stop at intervals to stretch
your legs and recover your energies.
– Make sure the air in the car is be-
ing changed continuously.
– Never coast downhill (i.e. with the
engine off): if you do, you lose the aid
of engine brake, power brakes and
power steering so that braking and
steering require greater effort.
– Never coast downhill (i.e. with the
engine off): if you do, you lose the aid
of engine braking and power.
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Here is some advice for driving in
the rain:
– Reduce speed and maintain a
greater safety distance from the cars
in front.
– If it is raining particularly heavily,
visibility is also reduced. In these
cases, switch on the dipped headlights
even if it is still daylight so you can be
seen more easily.
– Do not drive through puddles at
speed and hold on tightly to the
wheel: a puddle taken at high speed
might cause you to lose control of the
car (“aquaplaning”).
– Move the ventilation controls to
the position for demisting the win-
dows (see the section “Getting to
know your car”), to avoid visibility
problems.
– Periodically check the condition of
the windscreen wiper blades.DRIVING IN FOG
– If the fog is thick, do not start out
on a journey unless you absolutely
have to.
If driving in mist, blanket fog or
when there is the danger of fog
patches:
– Keep your speed down.
– Turn on the dipped headlights,
rear foglights and front foglights, if
fitted, even during the day. Do not
drive with your headlights at full-
beam.
– Remember that fog also means the
tarmac is wet and therefore manoeu-
vres of all kinds are more difficult and
stopping distances are longer.
– Keep a good distance from the cars
in front of you.
– As far as possible, avoid spurts of
speed or sudden deceleration.
– Do not overtake other vehicles if
you can help it.– If you are forced to stop your car
(breakdown, limited visibility etc.)
try to stop off the road. Turn on the
hazard lights and, if possible, the
dipped headlights. Rhythmically
sound the horn if you realise another
car is coming.
IMPORTANTOn stretches of road
with good visibility, switch off your
rear foglights; the brightness of these
lights could annoy the people travel-
ling in the cars behind.
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DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS
– When driving downhill use the en-
gine braking effect by engaging a low
gear so as not to overheat the brakes.
– Under no circumstances should
you drive downhill with the engine off
or with the car in neutral, let alone
with the ignition key out.
– Drive at a moderate speed without
cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking while
going uphill is slower and therefore re-
quires more free road. If you are being
overtaken while driving uphill, make
it easier for the other vehicle to pass.DRIVING ON SNOW OR ICE
Here are some tips for driving in
these conditions.
– Before starting off, check that the
windscreen wiper blades are not stuck
to the windscreen.
– Remove any snow from the climate
control system air intake.
– Keep your speed down.
– Use chains or snow tyres if the
roads are covered in snow, see the re-
spective paragraphs in this chapter.
– Do not keep the engine running for
long periods in deep snow as the snow
could push exhaust gases into the pas-
senger compartment.– Mainly use the braking effect of
the engine and under all circum-
stances avoid braking sharply.
– When braking in a car not fitted
with ABS, avoid the wheels locking by
varying the pressure you exert on the
brake pedal.
– Do not accelerate suddenly and
avoid swerving.
– In the winter, even apparently dry
roads may have icy patches. Be care-
ful therefore when driving over
stretches that do not get much expo-
sure to the sun or that are lined by
trees and rocks, where ice might not
have melted.
– Keep a good distance from the ve-
hicles in front.
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DRIVING WITH ABS
The car can be fitted with a wheel
anti-locking system (ABS) and with
electronic brake correction (EBD) sys-
tem.
ABS is a braking system that essen-
tially offers two advantages:
1)It prevents wheel locking and
consequent skidding in emergency
stops, particularly when the road does
not offer much grip.
2)It makes it possible to brake and
steer at the same time so you can
avoid unexpected obstacles and direct
the car where you want while brak-
ing. The extent to which this can be
done will depend on the physical lim-
its of the tyre’s total grip.To get the most out of ABS:
– During emergency stops or when
grip conditions are poor, you will feel
a slight pulsation on the brake pedal.
This is the sign that the ABS is work-
ing. Do not release the brake pedal
but continue to press so as not to in-
terrupt the braking action.
– ABS prevents the wheels from
locking, but it does not increase ac-
tual grip conditions between tyre and
road. Therefore, even if your car is fit-
ted with ABS, respect the safety dis-
tance from the car in front of you and
keep your speed down when driving
into bends.
ABS serves to increase the controlla-
bility of the car, not to enable you to
go faster.If warning light >
switches on when the en-
gine is running, this usu-
ally indicates an ABS fault. In such
cases the braking system is still ef-
ficient, although the anti-locking
device does not function. The EBD
system may also be less efficient.
Go to a LANCIA Dealership imme-
diately, taking care not to brake
suddenly, and have the system
checked.
The car is fitted with an
electronic brake corrector
(EBD). If warning lights >
andxlight up simultaneously
when the engine is running, this
indicates an EBD fault. This
means that violent braking could
cause early locking of the rear
wheels causing the car to skid.
Drive the car extremely carefully
to the nearest LANCIA Dealership
to have the system checked.
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The ABS system with
which the car may be fitted
does not control the brak-
ing system of a trailer. Special care
must therefore be taken on slip-
pery surfaces.
Under no circumstances
modify the car’s braking
system for trailer braking
control. The trailer’s braking sys-
tem must be completely indepen-
dent of the car’s hydraulic system.The weight the trailer exerts on the
car’s tow hitch coupling reduces the
car’s carrying capacity by the same
amount.
In order to be sure you are not ex-
ceeding the maximum towing weight
(given on the car’s registration pa-
pers), you have to take into account
the trailer’s weight fully laden in-
cluding the accessories and personal
luggage.
Do not exceed the speed limits for
towing a trailer in the country you are
driving in. In any case, do not exceed
the top speed of 100 km/h.SNOW CHAINS
The use of snow chains is regulated
by the legislation in force in the coun-
try the car is driven in.
The chains may only be applied to
the drive wheel tyres (front wheels).
Use only low profile chains (maxi-
mum height off the tyre: 12 mm).
Check the tautness of the chains af-
ter driving some twenty to thirty me-
tres.
IMPORTANTAs the spare wheel is
small (space-saver), it is not possible
to fit snow chains to it. If a front tyre
is punctured, first exchange a rear
wheel with the spare tyre and then
change the flat tyre with the rear wheel
thus removed. This way there will be
two ordinary wheels at the front and
the snow chains can be fitted.
Remember that the wheels should
always be exchanged on the same side
of the vehicle; never change wheels
over from one side of the car to the
other.
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The maximum speed of
snow tyres with a “Q” in-
dication must never ex-
ceed 160 km/h and in any case
must always observe the regula-
tions of the Highway Code.Therefore they should only be used
for the purpose for which they have
been homologated (“Q” indicates that
the tyre is designed for a speed of less
than 160 km/h).
IMPORTANTWhen using snow
tyres with a maximum speed index
that is less than the capacity of the car
(increased by 5%), place in the pas-
senger compartment, well in sight, a
warning that indicates the maximum
speed permitted by the snow tyres (in
accordance with the EC Directive).
Fit four identical tyres (same make
and tread) on the wheels to ensure
safety when driving and when brak-
ing as well as easy handling.
Do not reverse the direction of rota-
tion of the tyres.STORING THE CAR
Do the following if the car is not to
be used for more than a month:
– Park the car in covered, dry and if
possible well-ventilated premises.
– Engage a gear.
– Remove the cables from the bat-
tery terminals (first remove the cable
to the negative terminal) and check
the battery charge. This check should
be carried out once every three
months while the car is in storage.
Recharge the battery if the no-load
voltage is less than 12.5V.
– Make sure the handbrake is not
engaged.
– Clean and protect the painted
parts using protective wax.
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