Chevrolet Captiva Owners Manual: Defensive Driving, Drunk Driving, Braking

Defensive Driving

Defensive driving means "always expect the unexpected." The first step in driving defensively is to wear the safety belt. See Safety Belts on page 3-9.

• Assume that other road users (pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers) are going to be careless and make mistakes.

  Anticipate what they might do and be ready.

• Allow enough following distance between you and the driver in front of you.
• Focus on the task of driving.

Drunk Driving

Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a global tragedy.

Warning

Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment can be affected by even a small amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.

Ride home in a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a driver who will not drink.

Control of a Vehicle

Braking, steering, and accelerating are important factors in helping to control a vehicle while driving.

Braking

Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is reaction time.

Average driver reaction time is about three-quarters of a second. In that time, a vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20m (66 ft), which could be a lot of distance in an emergency.

Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:

• Keep enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
• Avoid needless heavy braking.
• Keep pace with traffic.

If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes. Doing so could make the pedal harder to push down. If the engine stops, there will be some power brake assist but it will be used when the brake is applied.

Once the power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.