Myth already busted. And that story does the rounds every year or so. That bitch is a real **** driver if its happened to her 5 years in a row, at roughly the same time.
So what's the bottom line?
The narrow margins applied in enforcing Australian speed limits dictate you should assess whether your use of cruise control is governed more by your need to protect your license than safe-driving practices. Some speed limits may be too high under certain weather conditions while in others, your direct communication with all the car’s controls may be more critical than sitting back with the cruise control on.
Consider some of the following issues and actions when you next engage cruise control...
* If you feel yourself disengaging from driving as the cruise control engages, devise strategies to stay alert so you are ready to deal with whatever happens.
* Minimise the chances of aquaplaning by keeping tyres fresh and backed by regular wheel alignments. Make sure that the shock absorbers/dampers are in serviceable condition so they can punch the tyres back onto the road as soon as they are disturbed by a bump.
* Practise using the Cancel function or equivalent button to disengage cruise control so that you don’t initiate a violent loss of control by hitting the brakes.
* Never engage cruise control on a road where you would normally have to slow down for a bend. If you can feel the car starting to get out of shape under cruise control, hit the Cancel button and have your foot hovering over the accelerator to smooth out any reduction in engine power. Most cars end up in trouble when braking or deceleration/acceleration is too sudden or too sharp.
* If the roads are wet, don't use cruise control.:w00t: This is a no-brainer when wet weather driving requires constant and gentle speed adjustments by carefully modulating the accelerator, not sudden brake applications.
* While using cruise control, always have your feet in such a position so you know exactly where each pedal is relative to your right foot.
* Anticipate downhill situations by disengaging the cruise control via the Cancel function not the brakes and taking over before it speeds up.
* If you feel a lightness of steering when your car hits a puddle this is an advance warning of aquaplaning. Turn off the cruise control and back off on the accelerator immediately.
* In winter in the colder parts of the country anticipate early morning or late evening situations where black ice may have formed. Again, hitting the brakes to disengage cruise control will be too late once you hit ice so don't engage cruise control at all in these conditions.
Prepared from discussions with Holden Special Vehicles Powertrain Engineer, Sam Davis.
