Driving your vehicle
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Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). SUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. Specific design charac-
teristics give them a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles. An
advantage of the higher ground
clearance is a better view of the
road, which allows you to anticipate
problems. They are not designed for
cornering at the same speeds as
conventional passenger vehicles,
any more than low-slung sports cars
are designed to perform satisfactori-
ly in off-road conditions. Due to this
risk, driver and passengers are
strongly recommended to buckle
their seat belts. In a rollover crash,
an unbelted person is more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. There are steps that a driver
can make to reduce the risk of a
rollover. If at all possible, avoid sharp
turns or abrupt maneuvers, do not
load your roof rack with heavy cargo,
and never modify your vehicle in any
way.
CAUTION - Mud or snow
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud, snow,
etc. the vehicle can sometimes
be driven out by depressing the
accelerator pedal further; how-
ever avoid running the engine
continuously at high rpm
because doing so could dam-
age the 4WD system.
WARNING - Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
• Utility vehicles have a signifi-
cantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles.
• Specific design characteris-
tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles.
• A SUV is not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as
conventional vehicles.
• Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers.
• In a rollover crash, an unbelt-
ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt. Make
sure everyone in the vehicle is
properly buckled up.
