1996 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 158

The traction you can get in a curvedepends on the condition of your tires and the roadsurface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you're in acurve, speed is the one factor you can control. Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve. Then you -suddenly accelerate. Both control systems steering and acceleration -- have to do their work where the tires meet the road. Unless you have the Enhanced Traction System and the system is on, adding the sudden acceleration can demand too much of those places. You can lose control. What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the it accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want to go, and slow down. Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speedsare based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you'll want to go slower. If you need to reduce your speedas you approach a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speedso you can "drive" through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until youare out of the curve, and then accelerate gently into the straightaway. Steering in Emergencies There are times when steeringcan be more effective than braking. Forexample, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, a car suddenly pulls or out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can avoid these problems by braking if you can stop in -time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room. That's the time for evasive action -- steering around the problem. Your Oldsmobile can perform very well in emergencies like these. First applyyour brakes. (See "Braking in Emergencies" earlier in this section.) It is better to remove as much speed as you from a possible can collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right depending on thespace available.