1997 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 167

Off-Road Recovery You may find sometime that your right wheels have dropped off the edgeof a road onto the shoulder while you're driving. Passing The driver of a vehicle about topass another on a two-lane highway waits for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver? Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle a two-lane on highway is a potentially dangerous move, sincethe passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming traffic for several seconds.A miscalculation, an error in can judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger suddenly put thepassing driver face to face with the worst of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision. So here are sometips for passing: 0 OFF-ROAD RECOVERY RECOVER e * P I SLOW DOWN y, ! I l c 7 edge of paved surface "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 better time. Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. broken A center line usually indicates it's 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 emptyof approaching traffic. If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery shouldbe fairly easy.Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothingin the way, steer so that your vehicle straddles theedge of the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarterturn until the right front tire contacts the pavementedge. Then turn your steering wheel togo straight down the roadway. 4-13