Matt_91

bloody female drivers hahaha (had to be said)

i have heard about that but hought it was just bullshit, but i dunno know

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OLLY BOLLY

thats almost as funny, as the bloke in the USA that bought an R.V. and set the cruise, then went to the back to make himself a coffee. The R.V. veered off the road and went bush. He sued the R.V. manufacturer for not placing a warning on the vehicle that cruise control does not drive the vehicle for you!!

Matt_91

hey olly i think homer simpson did that also

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Billy_308

Well I will slightly destroy this email. This info was found here http://www.hoax-slayer.com/cruise-control-warning.html


This email forward warns that drivers should not use cruise control in the rain. The message claims that using cruise control can actually cause the vehicle to accelerate through the air if it hits standing water and hydroplanes (aquaplanes). While the core claim (don't use cruise control in wet conditions) is valid, the message seriously mangles the facts and is therefore misleading and overly alarmist.

Certainly, using your vehicle's cruise control in wet or icy conditions can be dangerous - but not for the reasons outlined in this warning message. It almost goes without saying that aquaplaning can occur regardless of whether cruise control is engaged or not. Aquaplaning occurs when a tyre's grooves cannot remove water quickly enough and the tyre therefore loses contact with the road surface and skims across the top of the standing water. Car accidents often happen as a result of aquaplaning, but in many cases this is due to poorly maintained vehicles, driver inattention or poor road conditions and has nothing at all to do with cruise control.

That said, if cruise control is engaged when aquaplaning occurs, the driver's subsequent reaction could make the encounter worse than it may have otherwise been. For example, the driver may hit the brake heavily to disengage cruise control and this could lock up the wheels completely. Furthermore, drivers often move their feet away from the pedals when cruise control is engaged and they may also be a little less attentive than normal. In an aquaplaning situation the small delay caused by these factors could equate to the difference between a safe recovery and a serious accident. Also, an inattentive driver could hit the accelerator instead of the brake to disengage cruise control, and this could of course speed up the vehicle and lead to loss of control.

However, the claim in the message that cruise control itself can actually make the vehicle accelerate and fly through the air in a hydroplaning situation is dubious at best. A CarPoint Australia article that debunks the claims in the email notes:

This is the key that makes a nonsense of the email. Modern cars take their speedo reading from the driveshaft or transmission. This means the cruise control bases its responses on the speed of the driven wheels, not the car itself. This is an important distinction and fail safe position.

If the driven wheels skid because they lose grip, the spinning wheels will cause the speedo to show a higher reading which will force the cruise control to release the throttle faster than most drivers. Regardless of whether the car itself slows down or speeds up, the cruise control will always reduce the throttle no matter what until the driven wheels slow down back to the pre-set speed.

If the wheels continue to slip under this scenario, this will always leave the car travelling more slowly relative to the road, not faster as described in the email.

This finding is confirmed by the RAA's Technical Manager Mark Borlace, who explains:

"Should the car's tyres break traction with the road, such as in an aquaplane situation, the increase in wheel speed would be sensed and the cruise control system would then reduce the amount of throttle and maintain the set speed."

"Additionally, cruise control systems are deactivated as soon as the brake is applied. As braking is usually an automatic reaction in most emergency situations, the scenario of cruise control causing an increase in vehicle speed is highly unlikely."

Thus, there is no inherent factor in the cruise control mechanism itself that could lead to a hydroplaning vehicle speeding up and flying through the air.

Like many email "warnings" there is no way of verifying if the event described in the message actually occurred or was simply added to drive home the core points. The version included here is set in Australia. However, other versions with virtually identical wording have featured US place names. This duplication implies that, at least for later versions of the message, the perpetrator is not relating an actual incident he or she has experienced but has simply altered an existing message to fit local conditions.

The bottom line? Using cruise control in wet conditions certainly can be dangerous but it will NOT cause your vehicle to speed up and fly through the air. Engaging cruise control in any road situation that is less than optimal is ill-advised. Such road situations include not only wet and rainy conditions , but also icy roads, high traffic, poor visibility and rough, narrow, hilly or excessively bendy roads. However, do we really need an unverified and factually dubious email forward to make us aware of such factors? I would hope that not using cruise control in wet or other potentially dangerous conditions would simply be common sense for any responsible driver.

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Kiz

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countryjo

i think i would be just commen sence

bundy_lad_1980

thats pure gold that lol

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