Cruise Control Warning

I wonder how many people know about this ~

A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore , Texas , she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.

But the highway patrolman told her if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

The patrolman 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 pavement is dry.

The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his car and sustained severe injuries.

NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.

Interesting, just had to look it up...I can see it happening. I normally do use it if the roads a slightly wet, but never in the snow or slippery roads.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/wetroad.asp

A friend had that happen, she set the cruise and fell asleep and the truck sideswiped a guard and kept accelerating and did WAY more damage then if it would have been off. oops.

How about the lady that set the cruise control on her RV went to the back to do something and surprise the RV crashed . She thought that it drove itself with the cruise control set like auto pilot . She later went on to sue the dealer and Mfg of the RV . Not sure if she was successful there or not . Some people will do anything to get a Darwin award .

I was looking for that one! I remember that going around a while ago....

kozel wrote: NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.

Seatbelt indicators
Airbag warning lights
OnStar type tracking/logging black boxes
Brake/shift interlocks
Speed enabled door locks

All things we lived without for nearly 100 years on our cars and really don't need now. I'd prefer to have the option of enabling these "features" instead of having them forced down my throat by govm't and/or manufacturers.

So I can set the cruise in my Audi at 130mph and it'll go all day. But add water and suddenly, I'm driving a 737?

Where does all this lift come from to "literally fly through the air"?

Sounds like a case for Mythbusters.

jpete wrote:Where does all this lift come from to "literally fly through the air"?

Some times "literally" is not use properly. I think they meant to say "It went into a skid and lost control". People use "literally" to mean "it was as if", when in reality it means "It actually happend as described".

i don't really belive this one. curise control uses inputs from the cars vss system (which uses tire rotation to dectet if the cars moving) so if the car hydroplaned the tires would start spinning faster (like burning out) so the cars computer would let off the gas . I guess I could be wrong though. I use cruise all the time in my jeep, in the rain snow, I used it one when wheeling