7-4 Starting and driving
• Remember that the mirrors protrude from the
vehicle body. Be careful not to hit pedestrians
and obstructions with the mirrors when driving
on narrow roads.
Looking at the mirrors while driving causes your
line of vision to move significantly. Be sure to
keep paying attention to safety ahead of the
vehicle.
• Do not keep the steering wheel turned fully to
either side for more than 10 seconds. Doing so
could cause the power steering system to mal-
function.
• Do not try to forcefully turn the steering wheel
when the front wheels are stuck against a curb-
stone or other object. Doing so could cause the
steering gearbox to fail.
• Continuous high-speed driving burdens the
engine and other vehicle parts. Allow yourself
enough time that you do not need to push the
vehicle too hard.
• Perform your pre-operation checks with particu-
lar care when you expect to drive at high
speeds.
When continuously driving at high speeds, your
sense of speed may become dull. Pay constant
attention to your speed, and maintain an ade-
quate distance from the preceding vehicle.
• If a tire bursts or gets punctured while you are
driving at high speed, do not panic. Keep a firm
grip on the steering wheel and gradually reduce
your speed. Stop the vehicle in the nearest safe
place. Do not brake sharply. Braking sharply
would be dangerous because the steering wheel
would be pulled to one side with great force.
• When driving at high speeds in the rain, it some-
times happens that the tires ride on a film of
water and lose contact with the road surface.
This is known as “hydroplaning”. If this should
happen, you will lose control of both steering
and braking. Therefore, be sure to maintain
moderate speeds on rainy days.
Hydroplaning can easily occur if tire tread is
worn to the point where the tread pattern is very
shallow.
• Using the exhaust brake on a wet, frozen, snow-
covered, or otherwise slippery road surface
when the vehicle is lightly loaded or not loaded
can cause the tires to slip on the road surface,
resulting in a skid. Do not use the exhaust brake
on slippery road surfaces.
• Do not use a mobile telephone while driving. If
you wish to use a mobile telephone, first stop
the vehicle in a safe place. Using a mobile tele-
phone while driving could distract your attention
from the vehicle and from the road ahead,
resulting in an accident.
• Operate the radio and other items of equipment
in the cab when the vehicle is stationary. It is
dangerous to operate such items of equipment
or use a carphone (other than a hands-free
type) while driving.
Z01413
FEFG.book Page 4 Thursday, March 10, 2005 7:30 PM
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