What every driver should about using cruise control
If you do a lot of driving, especially on open highways, you have most likely been using cruise control at some point. While cruise control can seem a useful driving tool, there are certain times when you should avoid using it.
First of all, let us understand what cruise control is and does. Cruise control is an electronic system that will allow your vehicle to maintain a steady speed once it’s been active by the driver. Cruise control helps the driver maintain a steady speed whenever you’re on straight roads with very little traffic and without slowing down repeatedly, typically on higher-speed roads, including highways and freeways.
There is also an advanced cruise control system. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is an example of an advanced cruise control system that can also keep a regular distance behind another vehicle. A sensor in the front of the vehicle monitors the distance and speed of the vehicle ahead. It then adjusts the vehicle’s speed to maintain a safe cruising speed and following distance. If the system determines the vehicle in front is quickly slowing, the system will automatically apply the brakes. It may also alert the driver with a warning signal or sound.
Some advanced systems will reduce the speed as necessary in rush hour traffic and automatically return to the set speed the driver has programmed when traffic gets moving again.
Attempting to use cruise control when the roads have medium traffic would not be wise because you would constantly have to disengage cruise control each time you slowed down and then have to re-engage it once you got back up to speed again. It could also mean that you may not have quick enough reaction time to slow down if traffic directly in front of you makes a quick stop.
Although you may have a steady speed because of cruise control, you should always keep your feet near the accelerator and brake pedals. It will allow you to react quickly if you suddenly need to slow down or accelerate to avoid a potential collision or a close call with another vehicle.
Cruise control has difficulty detecting winding roads This will mean you won’t always slow down enough before making a sharper turn. You should also avoid using cruise control on roads with constant hills as this could affect your speed as you crest the hill with your vehicle ending too quickly when you begin to drive downhill.
There have always been discussions that cruise control will accelerate while driving in the rain. Not true. Think about it. The driver sets the cruise control speed. The vehicle does not exceed that speed. Any time the driver touches the brakes, the cruise control is temporarily disengaged so the driver has complete control of their speed again.
The reason that you may not want to use it in wet road conditions is when you’re driving in heavy rain, is that you’ll want to pay more attention to the conditions you’re driving in. That makes sense. Using cruise control is something that reduces your attention to the driving environment.
Cruise control understands you want to keep your vehicle at a constant speed. It means that if you’ve slowed down or are going up a hill, it will apply more acceleration to reach your set speed again at any road conditions. There isn’t a problem with cruise control, except when the driver decides to use it. Yes, it can help you, but you should always be ready to control your vehicle. That’s your job.