001-055 Alfa 156 GB - Alfa Romeo serviss

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
194
DRIVING IN THE RAIN
Rain and wet roads can be dangerous.
If the road is wet, the traction between
wheel and asphalt is greatly reduced, thus
increasing the stopping distance and decreasing
road holding.
Here are few suggestions in the case of
rain:
– Reduce speed and keep further back
from the vehicle in front.
– If it is raining particularly heavily, visibility
is also reduced. In these cases, switch
on the dipped headlights even if it is still daylight
so you can be seen more easily.
– Do not drive through puddles at speed
and hold on tightly to the wheel if you do: a
puddle taken at high speed might cause you
to lose control of the car (“aquaplaning”).
– Position the ventilation controls for
demisting (see chapter “Getting to know
your car”), to prevent visibility from worsening.
– Routinely check the conditions of the
windscreen wiper blades.
DRIVING IN THE FOG
– If fog is very thick, avoid travelling
where possible. If travelling with mist,
ground fog or the possibility of fog banks:
– Drive at moderate speed.
– Also in the day turn on the dipped-beam
headlights, rear fog guards and front fog
lights. Do not use the main beam headlights.
WARNING On stretches of road with
good visibility, switch off your rear foglights;
the brightness of these lights could annoy
the people travelling in the cars behind.
– Remember that fog also involves wet
asphalt, thus greater difficulty in all types of
manoeuvres and longer stopping distances.
– Keep well away from the vehicle in
front.
– Where possible avoid sudden changes
in speed.
– Possibly avoid overtaking other vehicles.
– If the vehicle is forced to stop (faults,
impossibility to continue due to poor visibility,
etc.), firstly try to pull off the road.
Then turn on the hazard warning lights and,
if possible the dipped beam headlights. Rythmically
sound the horn if you note another
car coming.
MOUNTAIN DRIVING
– When driving downhill, use the engine
braking by engaging a low gear, to prevent
the brakes from overheating.
– Never coast downhill with the engine off
or in neutral and especially not with the ignition
key removed.
– Drive at moderate speed and avoid “cutting”
corners.
– Remember that overtaking up hill is
slower and therefore requires a greater
length of clear road. If you are being overtaken
on a hill, move over to enable the
other vehicle to pass in safety.