Kia niro 2023, Owner'S Manual, Page: 204 / 440

Driving your vehicle
6 6
Before driving
僅 Always check the surrounding areas
near your vehicle for people, espe
-
cially children, before putting a vehi
-
cle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
僅 Securely store items in your vehicle.
When you make a sudden stop or turn
the steering wheel rapidly, loose
objects may drop on the floor and it
could interfere with the operation of
the foot pedals, possibly causing an
accident.
僅 Do not drive while under the influence
of alcohol, drugs, or other impairing
substances. Drinking and driving is
dangerous. Even a small amount of
alcohol will affect your reflexes, per
-
ceptions and judgment.
Driving while under the influence of
drugs or other impairing substances is
as dangerous as or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
僅 Always wear appropriate shoes when
operating your vehicle. Unsuitable
shoes (high heels, ski boots, sandals,
etc.) may interfere with your ability to
use the brake and accelerator pedals.
Good driving practices
僅 Never change the gear from P (Park)
or N (Neutral) to any other position
with the accelerator pedal depressed.
僅 Never change the gear into P (Park)
when the vehicle is moving.
僅 Stop the vehicle completely before
changing the gear into R (Reverse) or
D (Drive).
僅 Never change the gear to N (Neutral)
and coast down the hill. This is
extremely hazardous. Always change
the gear to R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
when the vehicle is moving.
僅 Do not "ride" the brakes. It may cause
the brake to overheat and malfunc
-
tion. Use the engine brake to drive
down the long hill.
僅 Slow down before shifting to a lower
gear.
僅 Always use the parking brake. Do not
depend on P (Park) to keep the vehi
-
cle from moving.
僅 Exercise extreme caution when driv
-
ing on a slippery surface. Be espe
-
cially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. The
vehicle speed can change abruptly,
causing the tires to lose traction and
the vehicle go out of control.
僅 Obtain the optimum vehicle perfor
-
mance by driving smoothly.
WARNING
僅 If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock the vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the
vehicle. During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move for
-
ward or backward as it becomes
unstuck, causing injury or damage to
nearby people or objects.
僅 When driving uphill or downhill,
always shift to D (Drive) for driving
forward or shift to R (Reverse) for
driving backwards, and check the
gear position indicated on the cluster
before driving. Driving in the opposite
direction of the selected gear can lead
to a dangerous situation by shutting
off the engine and affecting the brak
-
ing performance.
僅 Always buckle-up! In a collision, an
unbelted occupant is significantly
more likely to be seriously injured or