User manual BUICK PARKAVENUE 1996

[. . . ] The 1996 Buick Park Avenue Owner's Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. FeaturesandControls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comfort Controls and Audio Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SeatsandRestraintSystems This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 5-1 6-1 7-1 YourDrivingandtheRoad ProblemsontheRoad Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. [. . . ] Medical research shows that alcohol in a person's system can make crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cordor heart. This means that whenanyone who has been drinking -- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that person's chance of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the person had not been drinking. Drinking and then driving very dangerous. is 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. Please don't drink and drive or ride a driver with who has been drinking. Ride home a cab; or if in you're with a group, designate a driver who will not drink. -- -- Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle go where steering and you want it to go. All three systems have to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road. Braking Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. It might be less with one driver and as long as two orthree seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. But even in 3/4 a second, a vehicle of moving at 6O~mph (I00 h htravels'66 feet(20 m). /) That could be a lot distance in an emergency, so of keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surfaceof the road(whether it's pavement or gravel); the conditionof the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition your brakes. of Sometimes, aswhen you're driving on snow or ice, it's easy to ask more of those controlsystems than the tires and road can provide. Thatmeans you can lose control of your vehicle. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking -- rather than keeping pace with traffic. Your brakes will wearout much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realisticfollowing distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and longer brake life. Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid. When you start'yourengine, or when you begin to drive away, your anti-lock brakesystem will check itself. You may hear a momentary motoror clicking noise while this test is going on, and you may notice that your even brake pedal moves a little. If there's a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this warning light will stayon. See "Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light" in the Index. If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake normally but don'tpump your brakes. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push. The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster than any driver could. [. . . ] For further information, contact the BBB at 1-800-955-5 100 or the Buick Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-7300. REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT If you believe that your vehicle has a defect whichcould cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in addition to notifying General Motors. If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safetydefect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or General Motors. To contact NHTSA, you may either call the AutoSafety Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123 in the Washington, D. C. [. . . ]