1997 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 186

Off-Road Recovery You may find sometime that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you're driving. Passing The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a two-lane highway waits for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver? Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the worst of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision. So here are some tips for passing: "Drive ahead." Look down the road, to the sides and to crossroads for situations that might affect your passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait for better time. a If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the off pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steerso that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel upto one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Thenu n your tr steering wheel togo straight down the roadway. Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. broken A center line usually indicates it's l right to pass a l (providing the road ahead is clear). Never a solid cross line on your side of the lane or a double solid line, even if the road seems emptyof approaching traffic. 4-13