Pontiac 1993 Sunbird Owner's Manual page 109

3
Your Driving and the Road
I
OFF ROAD RECOVERW,--&~~~
4
Of-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right
wheels have dropped off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder while you're
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing
in the way, steer so that your vehicle
straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to
1/4
turn
until the right front tire contacts the
pavement edge. Then turn your steering
wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass
another on a two-lane highway waits for
just the right moment, accelerates,
moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again. A
simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle
on a two-lane highway is a potentially
dangerous move, since the passing
vehicle occupies the same lane as
oncoming traffic for several seconds. A
miscalculation, an error in judgment, or
a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face
to face with the worst of all traffic
accidents
-
the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
.
"Drive ahead." Look down the road,
to the sides, and to crossroads for
situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any
doubt whatsoever about making a
successful pass, wait for a better time.
markings, and lines. If you can see a
sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your
Watch for traffic signs, pavement
pass. A broken center line usually
indicates it's all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear).
Never cross a solid line on your side
of the lane or a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle
you want to pass while you're
awaiting an opportunity. For one
thing, following too closely reduces
your area of vision, especially if you're
following a larger vehicle. Also, you
won't have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops.
Keep back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is
coming up, start to accelerate but stay
in the right lane and don't get too
close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to
move into the other lane. If the way is
clear to pass, you will have a "running
start" that more than makes up for
the distance you would lose by dropping
back. And if something happens to
cause you to cancel your pass, you
need only slow down and drop back
again and wait for another opportunity.