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The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you're in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve. Then
you suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
--
steering and acceleration
--
have to do their work where
the tires meet the road. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too much of those places. You can lose
control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want
it
to go, and slow down.
Speed
limit
signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you'll want.to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
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.
Steering i n Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective tha
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 fo
evasive action
--
steering around the problem.
Your Buick can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brqes. (See "Braking in
Emergencies" earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then stier 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
gast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
&voided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
4-9
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