2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA ESP

Delayed Headlamps
The delayed headlamps feature provides a period
of exterior lighting as you leave the area around
your vehicle. The feature is activated when
the headlamps are on due to the automatic
headlamps control feature described previously in
this section, and when the ignition is turned off.
Your headlamps will then remain on until the
exterior lamps control is moved to the parking
lamps position or until the pre-selected delayed
headlamp lighting period has ended.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamps
switch in the parking lamps or headlamps position,
the delayed headlamps cycle will not occur.
To disable the delayed headlamps feature or
change the time of delay, seeDIC Vehicle
Customization on page 208.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/
Automatic Headlamp System
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. Fully
functional daytime running lamps are required on all
vehicles rst sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel
makes the DRL work, so be sure it is not covered.
The DRL system’s automatic headlamp control
will make the low-beam headlamps come on at a
reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is in the ON position.
The exterior lamps control is in AUTO.
The engine is running.
When the DRL are on, only the low-beam
headlamps, at a reduced level of brightness, will
be on. The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker, and
other lamps will not be on. The instrument
panel and cluster will also not be lit.
162

Entering the Feature Settings Menu
1. Turn the ignition on and place the vehicle in
PARK (P).
To avoid excessive drain on the battery, it is
recommended that the headlamps are
turned off.
2. Press the customization button to enter the
feature settings menu.
If the menu is not available, FEATURE
SETTINGS AVAILABLE IN PARK will display.
Before entering the menu, make sure the
vehicle is in PARK (P).
Feature Settings Menu Items
The following are customization features that allow
you to program settings to the vehicle:
DISPLAY IN ENGLISH
This feature will only display if a language other
than English has been set. This feature allows you
to change the language in which the DIC
messages appear to English.Press the customization button until the
PRESS
VTO DISPLAY IN ENGLISH screen
appears on the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button to display all DIC messages in English.
DISPLAY LANGUAGE
This feature allows you to select the language in
which the DIC messages will appear.
Press the customization button until the DISPLAY
LANGUAGE screen appears on the DIC display.
Press the set/reset button to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the customization
button to scroll through the following choices:
ENGLISH (default):All messages will appear in
English.
FRANCAIS:All messages will appear in French.
ESPANOL:All messages will appear in
Spanish.
NO CHANGE:No change will be made to this
feature. The current setting will remain.
Select one of the available choices and press the
set/reset button while it is displayed on the
DIC to select it.
209

g(Mute/Voice Recognition):Press and release
the
gbutton to silence the system. Press and
release the
gbutton again, to turn the sound on.
If your vehicle has OnStar
®, press and hold
the
gbutton for longer than one second to interact
with the OnStar®system. See theOnStar®System
on page 128in this manual for more information.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch
between AM, FM, XM (if equipped), CD, and
AUX jack.
+
e−e(Volume):Press the + (plus)
or−(minus)
ebutton to increase or to decrease
the radio volume.
¨(Seek):Press the¨seek arrow to go to the
next radio station and stay there.
Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static can occur
during normal radio reception if items such as cell
phone chargers, vehicle convenience accessories,
and external electronic devices are plugged
into the accessory power outlet. If there is
interference or static, unplug the item from the
accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for
FM, especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other.
For better radio reception, most AM radio stations
boosts the power levels during the day, and then
reduce these levels during the night. Static can also
occur when things like storms and power lines
interfere with radio reception. When this happens,
try reducing the treble on your radio.
244

But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC
of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving
skills of many people are impaired at a BAC
approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are
worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC
levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the
chance of being in a collision increases sharply for
drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above.
A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has
doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a
BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver
having a collision is 12 times greater; at a level of
0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the
alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number
of cold showers will speed that up. “I will be careful”
is not the right answer. What if there is an
emergency, a need to take sudden action, as when
a child darts into the street? A person with even a
moderate BAC might not be able to react quickly
enough to avoid the collision.There is something else about drinking and driving
that many people do not know. Medical research
shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the
brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that when
anyone who has been drinking — driver or
passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than if the person had not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reexes, perceptions,
attentiveness, and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of alcohol.
You can have a serious — or even
fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in
a cab; or if you are with a group, designate
a driver who will not drink.
251

Remember: ABS does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal
or always decrease stopping distance. If you get
too close to the vehicle in front of you, you will not
have time to apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always leave enough
room up ahead to stop, even though you
have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake
pedal down rmly and let anti-lock work for you.
You might feel a slight brake pedal pulsation
or notice some noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a
situation that requires hard braking.
If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your
rst reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down — might be the wrong thing to
do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do,
the vehicle cannot respond to your steering.Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was
headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That
could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking
while maintaining steering control. You can do this
by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily
increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to
squeeze the brakes hard without locking the
wheels. If you hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease
off the brake pedal. This will help you retain
steering control. If you do have ABS, it is different.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 253.
In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
255

Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful
in slippery road conditions. The system operates
only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose traction. When
this happens, the system reduces engine
power and may also upshift the transmission
and apply the front brakes to limit wheel spin.
This light will ash
when your traction
control system is
limiting wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin,
the cruise control will automatically disengage.
When road conditions allow you to safely
use it again, you may re-engage the cruise
control. SeeCruise Control on page 157.The traction control system operates in all
transmission shift lever positions. But the system
can upshift the transmission only as high as
the shift lever position you’ve chosen, so you
should use the lower gears only when necessary.
SeeAutomatic Transaxle Operation on page 116.
When the system is on,
this warning light will
come on and stay on to
let you know if there’s
a problem.
A SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL message will
also appear on the DIC. When this warning
light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin.
Adjust your driving accordingly. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 199for more information.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the traction
control system on. But you can turn the system off
if you ever need to. You should turn the system
off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or
snow and rocking the vehicle is required.
256

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 is
all right to pass, providing the road ahead is
clear. Never cross a solid line on your side of
the lane or a double solid line, even if the road
seems empty of approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass while you are awaiting an opportunity. For
one thing, following too closely reduces your
area of vision, especially if you are following a
larger vehicle. Also, you will not 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 do not 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 vehicles are lined up to pass a slow
vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that
someone is not 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 vehicle’s 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 vehicle’s inside
mirror, activate the right lane change signal and
move back into the right lane. Remember that
an outside convex mirror makes the vehicle you
just passed seem 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.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too
rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not
ashing, it might be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps
you can ease a little to the right.
261

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not 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,
the wheels are not 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.
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 will 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 reducing vehicle speed 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.
262