Important Driving Tip: Never Use Cruise Control in the Rain!

[chefheidi2003]

NEVER KNEW THIS BEFORE...

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 and 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 that 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.

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.

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

 

[nikkijo]

Yep...I heard that about 6 years ago. I *yell* at DH everytime I'm in the car and the cruise is on and the roads are more than damp.

 

[Gina M]

Good to know Heidi - I never use my cruise control but do know many who do - I'll pass it on.

 

[nikkijo]

Heidi thank you for sharing this for everyone who does not know this, hopefully it will prevent an accident and save lives

 

[peichef]

Wow -- Dad was right. My dad told me that when he taught me to drive as a teenager. I always wondered if it was really true.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

It's probably more important to skip using cruise during the winter months, because the effect on ice is far worse than on water. Over 35 years ago, a large lawsuit was settled, out of court. It was brought by a business associate of mine vs. GM because of an accident caused by the use of cruise control, in the winter, when the tires encountered black ice and the car flipped over. I'll skip the details but it was a huge settlement. While I happen to think the likelyhood of a car "taking off like an airplane" is a gross exaggeration (all of these dire Internet warning freely use hyperbole) the use of cruise control, in heavy rain, can pose a risk, especially to an inexperienced driver. When front tires hydroplane over water, contact with the pavement is lost so steering control is lost. The results can be disastrous.ANY time you're behind the wheel, use your head and pay attention to conditions.

 

[mpkegley]

I never knew this. Good to know.

 

[cookinmama]

I remember learning this in Drivers Ed 13 years ago.

 

[susan g]

I never knew this until it happened to our family! Our car was totaled about 7 years ago and I know now this is what happened. To top it all off, the policeman who came to the accident later mailed us a ticket for speeding (we knew we were NOT-Cruise Control was set!). I wish I could send that jerk a copy of this study.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

At least you're here to *****...er...complain about the ticket. You should have plead it down too driving too fast for conditions.

 

[poohritz]

if only there was a car that turned the cell phone off, now that would make money, or a lot of people mad. take your pick. either way safer on the road.