CI
c-
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. Unless your traction control system is on,
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
in
Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than
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 for evasive action
--
steering around the
problem.
Your Cadillac can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking
in
Emergencies’’ earlier
in
this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can
from
a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
4-11
c
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
