1994 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 151

Whatever the condition - smooth ice, packed, blowing or loose snow - drive with caution. If you have the traction control system, keep the system on. It will improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road. Even though your vehicle has a traction controlsystem, you'll want to slow down and adjustyour driving to the road conditions. See Traction ControlSystem in the Index. If you don't have the traction control system, accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under the tires even more. Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a hard stopon a slippery road. Even though you have an antilock braking system, you'll want to begin stopping sooner thanyou would on dry pavement. See Anti-lock in the that's covered with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in shaded areaswhere the sun can't reach: aroundclumps of trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding roads areclear. If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you are on it. Try not tobrake while you're actually on the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers. If You're Caught in a Blizzard If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a serious situation.You should probably stay with your vehicle unless you know for sure thatyou are near help and you can hike through the snow. Here aresome things to do to summon help and keep yourself and your passengers safe: Turn on your hazard flashers. Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that you've been stopped by the snow. Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you. If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body insulators from Index. Allow greater following distance on any slippery road. Watch for slippery spots. Theroad might be fine until you hit a spot 149