Your thoughts on this issue related to cruise control

Auto Tech · 2009-09-01T12:36:02+00:00

You may have seen this before as an e-mail forward. What do you thinkof it?------------------------------This is DANGEROUS....I wonder how many people know about this ~A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled hercar. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling betweenGladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when hercar suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air.She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the suddenoccurrence!When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he toldher something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAINWITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON.She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control andmaintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. But the highwaypatrolman told her if the cruise control is on when your car begins tohydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your carwill accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like anairplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.The patrolman said this warning should be listed on the driver's seatsun-visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET ORICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set thecruise control and drive a safe speed - but we don't tell them to usethe cruise control only when the pavement is dry.The only person the accident victim found who knew this (besides thepatrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his carand sustained severe injuries.

Sep 01, 2009 42 Replies

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Jeff Strickland 16 years ago

Pardon me for coming along 28 days later and butting in, but I thought everybody would know not to drive in the rain or snow with the Cruise on. Sort of like everybody knows not to stand on the very top step of a ladder, or not to shower and blow-dry your hair at the same time, or bypass the interlock switch on the microwave then watch the oatmeal boil. Or spitting on the biggest son of a bitch in the bar.

There are things that one just does not do.

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Steve 16 years ago

What actually happens is that the car itself slows down relative to the road, but the cruise keeps the rear wheels turning the same speed. Therefore, since the car has slowed, th rear wheels are now spinning.

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