Service manual

Try to adjust your speed
so
you
can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of
the
curve, and then accelerate gently into
the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night, it’s harder to see the road ahead
of
you because it bends away from the straight beams of your lights. This is
one good reason to drive slower.
Steering
in
Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, or a
car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can avoid these problems
by braking
--
if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
--
steering around the problem.
Your Cadillac can perform
very
well in emergencies like these. First apply
your brakes. It is better to remove as much speed as you can from a
possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
An
emergency like this requires close attention and
a
quick decision. If
you
are holding the steering
wheel
at the recommended
9
and
3
o’clock
positions, you can turn it a
full
180
degrees
very
quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly
straighten the wheel once you have avoided the object. You must then be
prepared to steer back to your original lane and then brake to a
controlled stop.
Depending on your speed, this can be rather violent for an unprepared
driver. This is one of the reasons driving experts recommend that you use
your safety belts and keep both hands on the steering wheel.
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