Buick Enclave: Highway Hypnosis. Hill and Mountain Roads. Winter Driving

Highway Hypnosis

Always be alert and pay attention to your surroundings while driving.

If you become tired or sleepy, find a safe place to park the vehicle and rest.

Other driving tips include:

Hill and Mountain Roads

Driving on steep hills or through mountains is different than driving on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for driving in these conditions include:

WARNING
If you do not shift down, the brakes could get so hot that they would not work well. You would then have poor braking or even none going down a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let the engine assist the brakes on a steep downhill slope.

WARNING
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral) or with the ignition off is dangerous. The brakes will have to do all the work of slowing down and they could get so hot that they would not work well.

You could crash. Always have the engine running and the vehicle in gear when going downhill.

Winter Driving

Driving on Snow or Ice

Drive carefully when there is snow or ice between the tires and the road, creating less traction or grip. Wet ice can occur at about 0°C (32°F) when freezing rain begins to fall, resulting in even less traction. Avoid driving on wet ice or in freezing rain until roads can be treated with salt or sand.

Drive with caution, whatever the condition. Accelerate gently so traction is not lost. Accelerating too quickly causes the wheels to spin and makes the surface under the tires slick, so there is even less traction.

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.

The Antilock Brake System (ABS)  improves vehicle stability during hard stops on slippery roads, but apply the brakes sooner than when on dry pavement.

Allow greater following distance on any slippery road and watch for slippery spots. Icy patches can occur on otherwise clear roads in shaded areas. The surface of a curve or an overpass can remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. Avoid sudden steering maneuvers and braking while on ice.

Turn off cruise control on slippery surfaces.

Blizzard Conditions

Being stuck in snow can be a serious situation. Stay with the vehicle unless there is help nearby.

If possible, use the Roadside Assistance Program (U.S. and Canada)  or Roadside Assistance Program (Mexico) . To get help and keep everyone in the vehicle safe:

WARNING
Snow can trap engine exhaust under the vehicle. This may cause exhaust gases to get inside. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide (CO) which cannot be seen or smelled. It can cause unconsciousness and even death.

For more information about carbon monoxide, see Engine Exhaust .

Run the engine for short periods only as needed to keep warm, but be careful.

To save fuel, run the engine for only short periods as needed to warm the vehicle and then shut the engine off and close the window most of the way to save heat. Repeat this until help arrives but only when you feel really uncomfortable from the cold. Moving about to keep warm also helps.

If it takes some time for help to arrive, now and then when you run the engine, push the accelerator pedal slightly so the engine runs faster than the idle speed.

This keeps the battery charged to restart the vehicle and to signal for help with the headlamps. Do this as little as possible to save fuel.