1993 Pontiac Grand Prix Owner's Manual - Page 143

Yolur Driving and the Road Defensive Driving The best advice anyonecan give about driving is: Drive defensively. Please start with a veryimportant safety device in yourPontiac: Buckle up. (See the Index under Safety Belts.) Defensive driving really means "be ready for anything." On city streets, rural roads, or freeways,it means "alwaysexpect the unexpected." Assume thatpedestrians or other drivers are going to be carelessand make mistakes, Anticipate what they might do. Be ready fortheir mistakes. Expect childrento dash out from behind parked cars, often followed by other children. Expect occupants in parked cars to open doors into traffic. Watch for movementin parked carssomeone may be about to open a door. 142 Expect other drivers to run stop signs maneuver, inboth city and rural when you are ona through street. Be driving. You never know when the ready to brake if necessary as you go vehicle infront of you is goingto brake through intersections. You may not or turn suddenly. have to use the brake, but if you do, you Here's a final bit information about of will be ready. defensive driving. The most dangerous If you're drivingthrough a shopping time for driving in U.S. very early the is center parking lot where there are well- on Sunday morning. In fact,GM marked lanes, directional arrows, and Research studies showthat the most designated parking areas, expect some and the least dangerous times for drivers to ignore all these markings and driving, every week, fall the same on dash straight toward one part of the lot. day. That day is Sunday. The most dangerous time is Sunday from 3 a.m. Pedestrians can be careless.Watch for to 4 a.m. The safest time is Sunday from them. In general, you must give wayto pedestrians even if you know you have 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Drivingthe same distance on a Sunday at 3 a.m. isn'tjust the right of way. a little more dangerous than it is at Rear-end collisionsare about the most 10 a.m. It's about 134 times more preventable of accidents. Yet they are dangerous! common. Allow enough following distance. It's thebest defensive driving That leads to the next section.