True Urban Legend (motoring related)

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R2D2

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Taken from True urban legends..............


I had a wreck a couple of weeks ago and totaled our Lincoln Town Car. I hydroplaned on Hwy 135 between Gladewater & Kilgore, Texas. I was not hurt, just emotionally rattled! I know the Lord was with me.

I learned a lesson I'd like to pass on to you. You may know this already — but the highway patrolman told me that you should NEVER drive in the rain with your cruise control on. He said if you did and hydroplaned (which I did) that when your tires were off the road your car would accelerate to a high rate of speed (which it did). You don't have much, if any control when you hydroplane, but you are totally in the hands of God when the car accelerates. I took off like I was in an airplane. I'm so thankful I made it through that ordeal. Please pass the word around about not using cruise control when the pavement is wet or icy. The highway patrolman said this should be on the sun-visor with the warning about air-bags.

The only person I've found out who knew this (besides the patrolman) was a man who had a similar accident and totaled his car. This has made me wonder if this is not why so many of our young people are dying in accidents.

Be careful out there!


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[Collected on the Internet, 2003]

Some good advice, and you may know this already, but it is good to repeat!

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

We all know you have little or no control over a car when it begins to hydroplane. You are at the mercy of the Good Lord. The highway patrol estimated her car was actually traveling through the air at 10 to 15 miles per hour faster than the speed set on the cruise control.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the drivers 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.



Must admit I had thought about it either!
 
lol - I would have thought that the opposite effect would happen - when hydroplaning and without friction, the wheels would spin faster thus registering higher speeds so the cruise control would slow you down.

Maybe my physics/maths/logic are flawed though :)


Andy
 
Surely, because the cruise is set to a set speed, it cant accelerate? It would regulate itself the same as when it backs off the throttle in an attempt to maintain the set speed when you are going down hill. :D
 
yes that's logical. Also the moment you touch the brake or the accelerator the cruise would cut anyway. Maybe americans dont know how to brake?! Makes you wonder who decides on Urban Legends what is true and what is false!
 
The bit about an increase in speed when hydroplaning stands to reason, but that would be because of the lack of grip, not because the car accelerated under the cruise control :D
 
andy_k said:
lol - I would have thought that the opposite effect would happen - when hydroplaning and without friction, the wheels would spin faster thus registering higher speeds so the cruise control would slow you down.

Maybe my physics/maths/logic are flawed though :)


Andy

Only if the cruise control senses speed via the driven wheels or drivetrain perhaps.

So if the speed sensor was on an undriven front wheel and that slowed down CC would try to compensate?
 
Maybe not all cars are made like Mercedes with safety in mind!
 
The cruise control will use a front wheel to decide the speed of the car, it's also a front tyre that comand uses to calibrate the speed pulse and it's where the mileage on the car is metered.

If one of the back wheels starts to slip (sensor on each wheel), at under 50mph it will be corrected by ASR or ESP, above 50mph I don't know what the result would be but it might well disengage the cruise control because one of the car's wheels has lost traction, even if it takes no other steps to control this loss of traction. The real problem is trying to prove this :)
 
I thought youd already tried Shude! ;) For goodness sake dont try again!!!
 
R2D2 said:
I thought youd already tried Shude! ;) For goodness sake dont try again!!!
I mainly use cruise control on the motorway, it's not really suited to twisty b-roads!
 

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