Thread: Don't Drive in Rain with Cruise Control

> >> Drive carefully.
> >>
> >> 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

Crikey, Blue! I'll bear that in mind, thanks for sharing.

Thanks PJ for sharing this ...

Originally Posted by LadyEye

Thanks PJ for sharing this ...

Actually, there are no cars in my country equiped with cruise control.
Roads are always jammed. No chance to cruise. LOL

Ah! Never new this. Thanks.

Some cars are equipped with this traction thing that prevents that somewhat, or at least mine does. Imagine that I drive a car with all the bells n whistles! (batting eyes innocently). When the computer acknowledges the sudden accelaration from hydroplaning it shifts down, killing the cruise and engaging the DRIVE train to the second tire instead of just one tire! Its very startling the first few times it occurs too! I also was very startled the first time I drove into rain and the windshield wipers engaged all by themselves! I almost got OUT of the car!

Karen

Checked this out on Snopes (they verify or debunk urban legends..) and it is valid - follow this link, it is kind of an interesting story..http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/wetroad.asp

It's an old, but valid story.