1993 Buick Park Avenue Owner's Manual - Page 169

Defensive driving really means "be ready for anything." On city streets, rural roads, or freeways,means it "always expect the unexpected." Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be careless and make mistakes. Anticipatewhat they might do. Be ready for theirmistakes. Expect children todash out from behind parked cars, often followed by other children.Expect occupants in parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for movement in parked cars -- someone may be about to open a door. Expect other driversto run stop signswhen you are on a through street. Be ready to brakeif necessary as you go through intersections.You may not have to use the brake, but if you do, you will be ready. If you're driving through a shopping center parking lot where there are well-marked lanes, directional arrows, and designated parking areas, expect some drivers to ignore all these markings and dash straight toward one part of the lot. Pedestrians can be careless.Watch for them. In general, you must give way to pedestrianseven if you know you have the right of way. Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following distance. It's the best defensive driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving.You never know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly. Here's a finalbit of information about defensive driving. The most dangerous time for drivingin the U.S. is very early on Sunday morning. In fact, GM Research studies show that the most and the leastdangerous times for driving, every week, fall on the same day. That day is Sunday. The most dangerous time is Sunday from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. The safest time is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Driving the same distanceon a Sunday at 3 a.m. isn't just a little more dangerous than it is at 10 a.m. It's about 134 times more dangerous! That leads to the next section. Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor tothe highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol takes away three things that anyone needs to drive avehicle: 0 0 0 Judgment Muscular Coordination Vision