1997 Buick Century Owner's Manual - Page 199

Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out of the right lane to pass.When you are far enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its frontin your inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move back into the right lane. (Remember that your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicleyou just passed may seem to be farther away from you than it really is.) Try not to pass more than one vehicre at a time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passingthe next vehicle. Don't overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not flashing,it may be slowing down or starting toturn. Loss of Control Let's review what driving expertssay about what happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don't have enough friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. In any emergency, don't giveup. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an escape routeor area of less danger. Skidding In a skid, a driver can lose control the vehicle. of Defensive drivers avoid most skidsby taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, andby not "overdriving" those conditions. But skids are always possible. The threetypes of skids correspondto your Buick's three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels aren't rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin. A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If you're being passed, make it easy for the following driverto get ahead of you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right. 4-13