2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara Owner's Manual - Page 122

DRIVING TIPS Important Vehicle Design Features To Know WARNING 52D078S EXAMPLE WARNING • Wear Your Seat Belts at All Times. Even though air bags are equipped at the front seating positions, the driver and all passengers should be properly restrained at all times, using the seat belts provided. Refer to the "Seat Belts and Child Restraint Systems" section for instructions on proper use of the seat belts. • Never drive while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Alcohol and drugs can seriously impair your ability to drive safely, greatly increasing the risk of injury to yourself and others. You should also avoid driving when you are tired, sick, irritated or under stress. Your multipurpose vehicle has handling characteristics that differ from those of a conventional passenger car. For the safety of you and your passengers, please read the following section very carefully. Multipurpose vehicles such as your new SUZUKI have higher ground clearance and a narrower track than conventional passenger cars, to make them capable of performing in a wide variety of off-road applications. Specific design characteristics give them a higher center of gravity than ordinary cars. An advantage of the higher ground clearance is a better view of the road allowing you to anticipate problems. They are not designed for cornering at the same speed as conventional passenger cars any more than low-slung sports cars are designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road conditions. If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers. As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result in loss of control or vehicle rollover. Multipurpose vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles. 65D218 In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. Important Differences Between Your Multipurpose Vehicle and Ordinary Passenger Cars Higher Ground Clearance The higher ground clearance of your vehicle enables it to clear off-road obstacles, such as rocks and tree stumps, that ordinary passenger cars can not drive over. An unavoidable result of this higher ground clearance is that the vehicle also has a higher center of gravity. Consequently, your vehicle will handle differently than a vehicle with a lower center of gravity. 7-1