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You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or
even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust
to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare,
as from a driver who does not lower the high
beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps,
slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into
the approaching headlamps.
Keep the 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 lm caused
by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and
ash more than clean glass would, making the
pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that the headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as the 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 are not even aware of it.Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble.
On a wet road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or
turn as well because your tire-to-road traction is not
as good as on dry roads. And, if your tires do not
have much tread left, you will get even less traction.
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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can
build up under your tires that they can actually ride
on the water. This can happen if the road is wet
enough and you are going fast enough. When your
vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact
with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can
if your tires do not have much tread or if the
pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a
lot of water is standing on the road. If you can
see re ections from trees, telephone poles,
or other vehicles, and raindrops dimple the water’s
surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds.
There just is not a hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down
when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through
deep puddles or standing water, water can
come in through your engine’s air intake and
badly damage your engine. Never drive through
water that is slightly lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you cannot avoid deep
puddles or standing water, drive through them
very slowly.
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Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces. If you try to drive through owing
water, as you might at a low water
crossing, your vehicle can be carried
away. As little as six inches of owing
water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore
police warning signs, and otherwise be
very cautious about trying to drive
through owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your low-beam headlamps — not
just your parking lamps — to help make
you more visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra
following distance. And be especially
careful when you pass another vehicle.
Allow yourself more clear room ahead, and
be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
SeeTires on page 462.
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Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid:Is the reservoir
full? Are all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades:Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:Have you
checked all levels?
Lamps:Are they all working? Are the lenses
clean?
Tires:They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough
for long-distance driving? Are the tires
all in ated to the recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts:What is the weather
outlook along your route? Should you
delay your trip a short time to avoid a major
storm system?
Maps:Do you have up-to-date maps?
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as highway
hypnosis? Or is it just plain falling asleep at the
wheel? Call it highway hypnosis, lack of
awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road
with the same scenery, along with the hum of the
tires on the road, the drone of the engine, and the
rush of the wind against the vehicle that can make
you sleepy. Do not let it happen to you! If it does,
your vehicle can leave the road in less than a
second, and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis?
First, be aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with
a comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead
and to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service, or parking area and take a nap, get
some exercise, or both. For safety, treat
drowsiness on the highway as an emergency.
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Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different
from driving in at or rolling terrain.If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you are
planning to visit there, here are some tips that
can make your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check
all uid levels and also the brakes, tires,
cooling system, and transaxle. These parts
can work hard on mountain roads.
{CAUTION:
If you do not shift down, your brakes
could get so hot that they would not work
well. You would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You could
crash. Shift down to let your engine assist
your brakes on a steep downhill slope.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency
supplies in your vehicle.
Also seeTires on page 462.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom,
a supply of windshield washer uid, a rag,
some winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a
ashlight, a red cloth, and a couple of re ective
warning triangles. And, if you will be driving under
severe conditions, include a small bag of sand,
a piece of old carpet, or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly
secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires
meet the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the
tires and the road, you can have a very slippery
situation. You will have a lot less traction, or
grip, and will need to be very careful.
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What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on.
But wet ice can be even more trouble because it
may offer the least traction of all. You can get
wet ice when it is about freezing, 32°F (0°C), and
freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving
on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed,
blowing, or loose snow — drive with caution.
If you have a traction system, it will improve your
ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery
road. But you can turn the traction system off if you
ever need to. You should turn the traction
system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand,
mud, ice, or snow. SeeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck
in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 390. Even if
your vehicle has a traction system, you will
want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions, you may
want to turn the traction system off, such as
when driving through deep snow and loose gravel,
to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 365
andStabiliTrak®System on page 367.
If you do not have a traction system, accelerate
gently. Try not to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and
polish the surface under the tires even more.
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You will need a well-charged battery to restart the
vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with
your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window
almost all the way to preserve the heat. Start
the engine again and repeat this only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as
little as possible. Preserve the fuel as long as
you can. To help keep warm, you can get out of
the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or so until help comes.
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck,
you will need to spin the wheels, but you do not
want to spin your wheels too fast. The method
known as rocking can help you get out when you
are stuck, but you must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your vehicle’s tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you or others
could be injured. And, the transaxle or
other parts of the vehicle can overheat.
That could cause an engine compartment
re or other damage. When you are stuck,
spin the wheels as little as possible. Do not
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h)
as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning the wheels can destroy
parts of your vehicle as well as the tires.
If you spin the wheels too fast while shifting
the transaxle back and forth, you can destroy
the transaxle. SeeRocking Your Vehicle to
Get It Out on page 391.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 480.
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