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.
2007-03-01 16:28:40 · 9 answers · asked by BUSHIDO 7 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
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.
2007-03-01 16:29:14 · update #1
yes thankyou and i will pass it on to..
2007-03-01 23:03:49 · answer #1 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A warning plate is actually placed on the dash of Kenworth trucks about this very thing. I don't buy the bit about flying through the air, but I do think that the hydroplaning can be caused by the cruise control.
15 yr. professional truck driver, 1.5 million miles, no accident.
2007-03-02 00:44:00 · answer #2 · answered by Ben H 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you have good quality all-weather tires mounted, then you shouldn't need to worry about your car "hydroplaning out of control" I've found that most original equipment auto tires are not all that good in wet or slippery conditions, and by the time they have 20-30 thousand miles on them, they can be downright dangerous on wet roadways. Always be aware of the condition of your car's tires, and don't try to stretch the last thousand miles out of them. If they're worn to the point that they may not be safe in the weather conditions you need to drive in, then replace them!
2007-03-02 12:07:18 · answer #3 · answered by JetDoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sounds like a good plan to me. I drive in Canada, and I would never use the cruise control under those conditions.
2007-03-02 00:37:05 · answer #4 · answered by TitoBob 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just an excuse for driving too fast for road conditions
2007-03-02 08:10:54 · answer #5 · answered by R1volta 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes ty,, what happem when it on you will hit the barke harder than you should,,,you got it set to a speed, an can not let off fastest enought, to counel the care,
2007-03-02 06:41:51 · answer #6 · answered by ghostwalker077 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in kansas- - land of lots of rain and tornados.
Thank You.
I will pass it on
2007-03-02 00:39:18 · answer #7 · answered by Wylde R 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
umm yeah I got past the 1st 2 lines and lost interest...sorry. Darn cable TV and video games!!!!!!
2007-03-02 00:31:33 · answer #8 · answered by matchiowa 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Thank you very much for the info. I did not know about it.
2007-03-02 04:32:32 · answer #9 · answered by Vlasko 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋