Staying safe with cruise control

[Guest Shalomar]

Donny AKA ShalomarFly 2 ROCKS!!!I was enroute to Philadelphia from Walnutport PA tonight. Got on the highway, accelerated to 55 and turned on/set cruise out of habit.The car ahead wasn't quite doing 55, left lane wasn't clear so I tapped my brakes instead of having to reset cruise speed later.Just then, I remembered two things.#1- The rain beginning to splatter my windsheild was the front end of the remnants of Wilma, and even more importantly;#2- It is NOT a good idea to use cruise control if there is a reasonable expectation that your car may hydroplane or skid. The cruise control may do things that will rapidly make the situation worse, and I would have to Tap the brakes??? Not good in a skid- or hydroplane situationPut it in Nuetral- Not necesarily good, and there is a chance older car's engines will over rev.Hit the "off" button? not easy to do instantly, your mind should be on control- I bet you can raise your right foot a lot faster than you can ACTUALLY get to the off button in an UNEXPECTED emergency situation.I turned it off completely, left it off, and arrived safely.Probably would have anyway, but this is something for us all to think about. As I found out, it IS easy to forget sometimes.And before you completely trust your "traction control"- remember that in a lot of cars it works by activating the brake on certain wheels, most vehicles only send power to two wheels and it's YOU doing the steering- can you, cruise control and traction control work together that well? How well can the other two compensate for your mistakes? If in any doubt, check with your vehicle's manufacterer before using cruise control when you anticipate a possible hydroplane or skid. That automatically includes any night that goes below 32 degrees with snow on the ground- melting and refreezing...Best Regards, Donny:-wave

[Guest Drake34]

All cars should have that thing were it can detect a car in front and slow you down when cruise is on. I think it's Volvo that has that. Not sure.http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...s/Mullins01.jpg"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting."Don MullinsNiceville, FL.

[Guest LahaskaFlyer]

I would recommend the PSM (Porsche Stability Management) system which uses a range of sensors to monitor the direction, speed, yaw velocity and lateral acceleration. You have to drive it to believe it, truly sticks the car to the road. Jack WilsonBucks County, PA

[Guest Flaps]

>All cars should have that thing were it can detect a car in>front and slow you down when cruise is on. I think it's Volvo>that has that. Not sure.>>http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...s/Mullins01.jpg>>"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two>points, but it is by no means the most interesting.">>Don Mullins>Niceville, FL.I have something similar to that in every vehicle I drive. It's called a WIFE, and so far has been 100% fail safe :)

[jagabom 21]

Flaps, you are right about that.JimCYWG