1994 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 141

What shouldyou do if this ever happens? Ease up on the accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to and slow down. go, Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjustyour speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you'll want togo slower. If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do before you enter it the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speed so you can "drive" through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate untilyou are outof the curve, and thenaccelerate gently into the straightaway. Steering in Emergencies There are times when steering be can more effective than braking. For example, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, car a or suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked cars and stops right in frontof you. You can avoid these problems by braking if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room. That's the time for evasiveaction - steering around theproblem, Your Oldsmobile can perform very well in emergencies like these. First apply your brakes. It is betterto remove as much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to theleft or right depending on the space available. An emergency likethis requiresclose attention and aquick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you can turnit afull 180 degrees very quickly without removing either hand. But you have to act fast,steer quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have avoided the object. The fact that such emergency situations are always possible is agood reason to practice defensive driving at all times and wearsafety belts properly. 139