Suzuki XL7 - Manual (Page 166)

4-8
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
into the right lane again. A simple maneu-
ver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle
on a two-lane highway is a potentially dan-
gerous move, since the passing vehicle
occupies the same lane as oncoming traf-
fic for several seconds. A miscalculation,
an error in judgment, or a brief surrender to
frustration or anger can suddenly put the
passing driver face to face with the worst of
all traffic accidents – the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
• Drive ahead. Look down the road, to the
sides, and to crossroads for situations
that might affect your passing patterns. If
you have any doubt whatsoever about
making a successful pass, wait for a bet-
ter time.
• Watch for traffic signs, pavement mark-
ings, and lines. If you can see a sign up
ahead that might indicate a turn or an
intersection, delay your pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it is all right
to pass, providing the road ahead is
clear. Never cross a solid line on your
side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
• Do not get too close to the vehicle you
want to pass while you are awaiting an
opportunity. For one thing, following too
closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you are following a larger
vehicle. Also, you will not have adequate
space if the vehicle ahead suddenly
slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable
distance.
• When it looks like a chance to pass is
coming up, start to accelerate but stay in
the right lane and do not get too close.
Time your move so you will be increas-
ing speed as the time comes to move
into the other lane. If the way is clear to
pass, you will have a running start that
more than makes up for the distance you
would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to can-
cel your pass, you need only slow down
and drop back again and wait for another
opportunity.
• If other vehicles are lined up to pass a
slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take
care that someone is not trying to pass
you as you pull out to pass the slow vehi-
cle. Remember to glance over your
shoulder and check the blind spot.
• Check your vehicle’s mirrors, glance
over your shoulder, and start your left
lane change signal before moving out of
the right lane to pass. When you are far
enough ahead of the passed vehicle to
see its front in your vehicle’s inside mir-
ror, activate the right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane.
Remember that your vehicle’s passen-
ger side outside mirror is convex. The
vehicle you just passed may seem to be
farther away from you than it really is.
• Try not to pass more than one vehicle at
a time on two-lane roads. Reconsider
before passing the next vehicle.
• Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle
too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps
are not flashing, it may be slowing down
or starting to turn.
• If you are being passed, make it easy for
the following driver to get ahead of you.
Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say
about what happens when the three con-
trol systems – brakes, steering, and accel-
eration – do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep
trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the
vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid most skids
by taking reasonable care suited to exist-
ing conditions, and by not overdriving
those conditions. But skids are always pos-
sible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your vehicle’s three control systems. In the
braking skid, your wheels are not rolling. In
the steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires to
slip and lose cornering force. And in the