Buick 2011 Enclave User Manual download pdf (Page 259)

Black plate (3,1)

Buick Enclave Owner Manual - 2011

Driving and Operating 9-3

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.

Control of a Vehicle

The following three systems

help to control the vehicle while

driving — brakes, steering, and

accelerator. At times, as when

driving on snow or ice, it is easy to

ask more of those control systems

than the tires and road can provide.

Meaning, you can lose control of the

vehicle. See StabiliTrak

®

System

on

page 9‑30

.

Adding non‐dealer accessories

can affect vehicle performance.

See Accessories and Modifications

on page 10‑3

.

Braking

See Brake System Warning Light

on page 5‑22

.

Braking action involves perception

time and reaction time. Deciding to

push the brake pedal is perception

time. Actually doing it is

reaction time.

Average reaction time is about

three‐fourths of a second. But that is

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 three‐fourths of a

second, a vehicle moving at

100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m

(66 ft). That could be a lot of

distance in an emergency, so

keeping enough space between the

vehicle and others is important.

And, of course, actual stopping

distances vary greatly with the

surface of the road, whether it is

pavement or gravel; the condition of

the road, whether it is wet, dry,

or icy; tire tread; the condition of the

brakes; the weight of the vehicle;

and the amount of brake force

applied.

Avoid needless heavy braking.

Some people drive in

spurts — heavy acceleration

followed by heavy braking — rather

than keeping pace with traffic.

This is a mistake. The brakes might

not have time to cool between hard

stops. The brakes will wear out

much faster with a lot of heavy

braking. Keeping pace with the

traffic and allowing realistic

following distances eliminates

a lot of unnecessary braking.

That means better braking and

longer brake life.

1 2 ... 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 ... 457 458

Comments to this Manuals

No comments