Control of a vehicle, Control of a vehicle -3 – CHEVROLET 2010 Impala User Manual

Page 239

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Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.

For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.

The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.

Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means

that when anyone who has been drinking — driver or
passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if
the person had not been drinking.

Control of a Vehicle

The following three systems help to control the vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and road can
provide. Meaning, you can lose control of the vehicle.
See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 5-7.

Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
vehicle performance. See Accessories and Modifications
on page 6-3.

5-3

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