Interesting

**gruntfuttock** · 21st March 2006, 07:45 PM

I have just received this email and I will repost it here. I will let you decide if it is true or not.

I checked this one before sending it on..... if you want to make sure or if anyone you send it to questions it send them here:
http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/wetroad.asp

NEVER KNEW THIS BEFORE
I wonder how many people know about this?

A 36-year-old female had an accident several weeks ago and totalled her car. A resident of Wollongong, NSW, she was travelling between Wollongong & Sydney. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air.

She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the policeman what had happened, he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She had thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. But the policeman told her that if the cruise control is on and your car begins to hydroplane -- when your tyres lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and you take off like an airplane. She told the policeman that was exactly what had occurred.

The policeman estimated her car was actually travelling through the air at 10 to 15 kms per hour faster than the speed set on the cruise control. The policeman said this warning should be listed, on the driver's seat sun-visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed - but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the road is dry.

The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the policeman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totalled his car and sustained severe injuries. If you send this to 15 people and only one of them doesn't know about this, then it was all worth it. You might have saved a life

**George130** · 21st March 2006, 07:49 PM

Massive war going on at work over this one. There is claims the E-mail has been doing the rounds for years and comes from the US. It's supposed to be spam and therefor not supported.
Me.. I stayed out of it.

Overall consensus seems to be most people arn't skilled enough to use Cruise in the rain so just don't use it.

**gruntfuttock** · 21st March 2006, 07:53 PM

I do not have it, but it could be worth thinking of.

You would have to have rocks in your head to use cruise control in snow or ice :roll:

DiscoMick · 21st March 2006, 07:59 PM

We have cruise control so I could understand how the theory could work, but I still wonder...

**one_iota** · 21st March 2006, 08:03 PM

Any pilot who flies through a thunderstorm and relies on the auto pilot shouldn't be flying.

Oh well at least the climate control can be relied upon to maintain cabin temperature.

**LandyAndy** · 21st March 2006, 08:04 PM

I had a very interesting simalar experience in BlackBetty.
I was towing a trailer up to Perth for Tiny,AND GOING TO GET NEW TYRES FITTED.(they were legal but only just)
It was raining,cruise set at 110ks,was a slight uphill pull on a straight heading into a bend.The cruise had just gone into its "get back to the set speed ASAP mode and I hit the water running down the indents the road trains leave in the road.
The not too flash tread on the tyres invoked aquaplaning,the traction control was on,she wouldnt steer out of the water and was still powering on.I hit the resume button to cut the cruise,I was able to steer out of the water as per normal.It was quite un-nerving at the time,and I havent used the cruise in the rain since.
Andrew

**one_iota** · 21st March 2006, 08:15 PM

I hate cruise control The company car has it.

All the conditions including other vehicles are so variable that its use is limited and relying on it removes a significant factor for safe driving...complete control.

So my Luddite view is that cruise control dulls the senses. If you want to be driven then employ a chauffeur.

Maybe it is a case of "not speeding kills" after all it is usually set to avoid breaking the speed limit.

**gruntfuttock** · 21st March 2006, 08:19 PM

I belive that cruise control does have it's place. Long freeway drives outside of city traffic. In city and around a city they are dangerous.

It is just my 2bob's worth

**LandyAndy** · 21st March 2006, 08:21 PM

Hi Mahn
I agree with you Mahn,I wouldnt mint betting many country accidents are caused by cruise control and lack of driver control/concentration.
I dont like the Disco2 setup,it hunts too much,all or nothing.
I do use it though,set it at 105ks(allowing for my tyre error) and it keeps the licence clean.I switch it off if there is other traffic or hills.
Andrew

**rangieman** · 21st March 2006, 08:34 PM

come on guys do correct me if im wrong

if your wheels loose tration that means your wheels are going faster than the set speed and this is what cruise control is for it reduces the speed back to the set speed

plus in my job for a certain car maker i drive a lot of their cars on dirt in the rain on dry bitumen and wet

in twelve years of testing these cars in controled conditions (proving ground) this has never happened with 3 shifts running 7 days a week

i hope this answers the question :roll:

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