Saturn 2009 ASTRA User Manual download pdf (Page 163)

Medical research shows that alcohol

in a person’s system can make crash

injuries worse, especially injuries

to the brain, spinal cord, or heart.

This means that when anyone who

has been drinking — driver or

passenger — is in a crash, that

person’s chance of being killed or

permanently disabled is higher than

if the person had not been drinking.

Control of a Vehicle

The following three systems help

to control the vehicle while

driving — brakes, steering, and

accelerator. At times, as when

driving on snow or ice, it is easy to

ask more of those control systems

than the tires and road can provide.

Meaning, you can lose control of

the vehicle.

Adding non-dealer/non-retailer

accessories can affect vehicle

performance. See Accessories and

Modiﬁcations on page 9-3.

Braking

See Brake System Warning Light on

page 4-16.

Braking action involves perception

time and reaction time. Deciding

to push the brake pedal is

perception time. Actually doing it is

reaction time.

Average reaction time is about

three-fourths of a second. But that

is only an average. It might be

less with one driver and as long as

two or three seconds or more

with another. Age, physical

condition, alertness, coordination,

and eyesight all play a part. So

do alcohol, drugs, and frustration.

But even in three-fourths of a

second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph

(100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).

That could be a lot of distance in an

emergency, so keeping enough

space between the vehicle

and others is important.

And, of course, actual stopping

distances vary greatly with the

surface of the road, whether it is

pavement or gravel; the condition of

the road, whether it is wet, dry, or icy;

tire tread; the condition of the brakes;

the weight of the vehicle; and the

amount of brake force applied.

Avoid needless heavy

braking. Some people drive in

spurts — heavy acceleration

followed by heavy braking — rather

than keeping pace with traffic.

This is a mistake. The brakes might

not have time to cool between

hard stops. The brakes will wear

out much faster with a lot of heavy

braking. Keeping pace with the

traffic and allowing realistic following

distances eliminates a lot of

unnecessary braking. That means

better braking and longer brake life.

If the engine ever stops while the

vehicle is being driven, brake

normally but do not pump the brakes.

If the brakes are pumped, the

pedal could get harder to push down.

Driving and Operating 8-17

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