Driving A Long Distance - Chevrolet SUBURBAN 1993 Owner's Manual

Your Driving and the Road
Before changing lanes, check your rearview mirrors. Then use your turn
signal. Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to
make sure there isn't another vehicle in your "blind" spot.
If you are moving from an outside to a center lane on a freeway having
more than two lanes, make sure another vehicle isn't about to move into the
same spot. Look at the vehicles two lanes over and watch for telltale signs:
turn signals flashing, an increase in speed, or moving toward the edge of the
lane. Be prepared to delay your move.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a reasonable
following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.
Leaving
the
Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper lane well in
advance. Dashing across lanes at the last minute is dangerous. If you miss
your exit do not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on
to the
next exit.
At
each exit point is a deceleration lane. Ideally it should be long enough for
you to enter it at freeway speed (after signaling, of course) and then do your
braking before moving onto the exit ramp. Unfortunately, not all deceleration
lanes are long enough-some are too short for all the braking. Decide when
to start braking. If you must brake on the through lane, and if there is traffic
close behind you, you can allow a little extra time and flash your brake lights
(in addition to your turn signal) as extra warning that you are about to slow
down and exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply. The exit speed is
usually posted. Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to
your sense of motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds, you
may tend to think you are going slower than you actually are. For example,
40 mph (65 km/h) might seem like only 20 mph (30 kmlh). Obviously, this
could lead to serious trouble on a ramp designed for
20
mph (30 km/h)!
Driving a Long Distance
Although most long trips today are made on freeways, there are still many
made on regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and regular highways is the same in some
ways. The trip has to be planned and the vehicle prepared, you drive at
higher-than-city speeds, and there are longer turns behind the wheel. You'll
enjoy your trip more if you and your vehicle are in good shape. Here are
some tips for a successful long trip.
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