Defensive Driving; Control Of A Vehicle; Braking; Steering - Cadillac XT4 2023 Owner's Manual

168 Driving and Operating
Wait until the vehicle is parked to
retrieve items that have fallen to the
floor.
Stop or park the vehicle to tend to
children.
Keep pets in an appropriate carrier or
restraint.
Avoid stressful conversations while
driving, whether with a passenger or on a
mobile phone.
Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too long or
too often could cause a crash resulting in
injury or death. Focus your attention on
driving.
Refer to the infotainment section for more
information on using that system and the
navigation system, if equipped, including
pairing and using a mobile phone.

Defensive Driving

Defensive driving means always expect the
unexpected. The first step in driving
defensively is to wear the seat belt. See
Seat Belts 0 45.
Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers)
are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they may do
and be ready.
Allow enough following distance between
you and the driver in front of you.
Focus on the task of driving.

Control of a Vehicle

Braking, steering, and accelerating are
important factors in helping to control a
vehicle while driving.

Braking

Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time. Deciding to push the brake
pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is about
three-quarters of a second. In that time, a
vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph)
travels 20 m (66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:
Keep enough distance between you and
the vehicle in front of you.
Avoid needless heavy braking.
Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is
being driven, brake normally but do not
pump the brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the engine
stops, there will be some power brake assist
but it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.

Steering

Caution
To avoid damage to the steering system,
do not drive over kerbs, parking barriers,
or similar objects at speeds greater than
3 km/h (1 mph). Use care when driving
over other objects such as lane dividers
and speed bumps. Damage caused by
misuse of the vehicle is not covered by
the vehicle warranty.