Loss Of Control - GMC C-Series 2001 Owner's Manual

D
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
D
Check your mirrors 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 right outside mirror, activate
your right lane change signal and move back into the
right lane. (Remember that if your right outside
mirror is convex, the vehicle you just passed may
seem to be farther away from you than it really is.)
D
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
-
on two lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
D
Don't overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
D
If you're being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
4-14

Loss of Control

Let's review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don't have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don't 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, your wheels
aren't 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.