RE: Cruise control to be banned?
Friday 28th January 2005
Cruise control to be banned?
Authorities blame cruising for tail-end collisions
Cruise control might be banned in the UK, if bans on the technology in Belgium are ferried over the Channel.
According to a story in Auto Express, signs are up on several motorways in Belgium, such as one leading to Antwerp and the Brussels to Ghent road, instructing motorists to switch off the system. It comes after a series of tail-end collisions in heavy traffic thought to have been caused by cruise control users failing to hit the brakes soon and hard enough.
Cruise control has tended to be confined to large executive saloons, though it is now finding its way down the food chain into smaller cars. Cruise control users can be reluctant to brake as it deactivates the cruise control system and, if there are more of them it could become a problem.
An AA Motoring Trust spokesman said that cruise control was useful in that it helped drivers stay within the speed limit but that drivers usually set it to the speed limit, irrespective of traffic conditions, which was not always appropriate in heavy traffic.
A Department of Transport spokesman is quoted in Auto Express as saying that there are no plans to ban cruise control at the moment.
Auto Express story: www.autoexpress.co.uk/
Discussion
hmm... I drive a teeny weeny little golf diesel, and find it very hard to stay out of three figures on a good, safe, 'press-on' road.
Setting the cruise to 85 (indicated, 80 on the GPS) keeps the mpg just shy of 50 and mr plod off my back.
As a matter of personal preference, I like to employ the following safety strategies:
a. Use the brakes when people are slowing down in front of me
b. Don't read the paper whilst driving.
Still, I suppose another european law for my safety would give me a warm feeling at night...
Setting the cruise to 85 (indicated, 80 on the GPS) keeps the mpg just shy of 50 and mr plod off my back.
As a matter of personal preference, I like to employ the following safety strategies:
a. Use the brakes when people are slowing down in front of me
b. Don't read the paper whilst driving.
Still, I suppose another european law for my safety would give me a warm feeling at night...
This presents an interesting foil to the Speed Limiters debate on General Gassing. I suppose Cruise Control is similar in that it takes away a certain degree of control from the driver. I wonder if the same argument could be used against speed limiters, that they would increase accidents too because people would simply drive foot-down, knowing that they didn't have to control their speed, so when they had to brake suddenly, they wouldn't be in full control (or fully road-aware), and would have a collision.
Just a thought...
Just a thought...
They can feck off. 
Continuing with Pete's cynical theme, it can't be a coincidence that as the belgique police have got arsey about enforcing speed limits on motorways in the last two years, they have found more people using cruise control to protect their licences and more accidents!!
In a sane society, you couldn't make it up.
DAZ
In a sane society, you couldn't make it up.
DAZ
I suggest that driving with Cruise Control on CAN be safer, if used responsibly. When I'm using it on a motorway, I only do so when it's clear and open. When in a 30 or 40 limit (again, without too much traffic), I have my right foot hovering over the brake pedal, cutting the overall braking distance by at least a small amount.
It's one of those 'accessories' that you just have to learn to use properly, in my opinion...
It's one of those 'accessories' that you just have to learn to use properly, in my opinion...
But it's a bit contradictory isn't it, to be singing the praises of what is essentially a speed limiter (even if you set the limits), when we're going to have to go on telly and argue against them soon.
I think banning cruise control, even if you don't agree with it, presents a fair argument against electronic limitation, especially when imposed by government at taxpayer's expense.
I think banning cruise control, even if you don't agree with it, presents a fair argument against electronic limitation, especially when imposed by government at taxpayer's expense.
No doubt some drivers involved in these accidents have 'blamed' the cruise control for the crash, rather than their own inattention. This leads to grossly oversimplified stats that say (for example) that 5% of accidents are caused by cruise control therefore we should ban them.
Reminds me of the story of the winnebago driver who engaged cruise control whilst driving and then went into the back to have sit down and a cup of coffee.
Reminds me of the story of the winnebago driver who engaged cruise control whilst driving and then went into the back to have sit down and a cup of coffee.
I see their point, I've used CC and found myself driving with the switch. CC was created in the wide open spaces of the US and isn't always suitable for our congested roads. Like much of what we talk about I think the answer is in driver training and common sense not new laws and bans.
This week I did my usual M25, M1 run - in a manual car without CC - and didn't use the brakes until the last slip road. That's down to keeping a sensible distannce and the subtle control that the throttle and engine braking offer. (Still a minor miracle though!)
This week I did my usual M25, M1 run - in a manual car without CC - and didn't use the brakes until the last slip road. That's down to keeping a sensible distannce and the subtle control that the throttle and engine braking offer. (Still a minor miracle though!)
Using cruise control is a driving skill like any other - and one of the skills is knowing when to use it and when not to use it. Heavy traffic often isn't suitable.
Rather than banning it, an education campaign would be more helpful, but then someone would actually have to think to do that...
Rather than banning it, an education campaign would be more helpful, but then someone would actually have to think to do that...
Cruise control is fundamentally different to a speed limiter. Cruise controls maintains your speed unless you take action - it applies a minimum as well as a maximum. Speed limiters only apply a maximum.
I thought there were developments well under way to produce 'lane following' cruise control that maintained car separation too. Seems like a very sensible approach if it's technically feasible.
I thought there were developments well under way to produce 'lane following' cruise control that maintained car separation too. Seems like a very sensible approach if it's technically feasible.
Having just bought a German Motorhome with cruise control I find it has a number of bad effects, it encourages me to hang on to the setting longer than I should which results in braking rather than engine braking, it encourages me to close the gap on vehicles in front in expectation of them speeding up instead of switching it off. I drive in the USA a lot and there cruise is the norm and it helps the boredom of long interstate journeys on straight and empty roads BUT it creates the rather strange creeping overtaking that occurs in the states when your setting just differs slightly from other vehicles. There was also a discussion in the USA somewhere on what happens if you aquaplane when on CC after it had caused some serious crashes BUT aquaplaning often DOES!
Finally ... 1st Place: In the Stella awards USA
This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City,OK. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not explaining in the owner's manual that cruise control isn't an automatic pilot. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home..........we're NOT THAT DAFT in the UK are we??
Finally ... 1st Place: In the Stella awards USA
This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City,OK. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not explaining in the owner's manual that cruise control isn't an automatic pilot. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home..........we're NOT THAT DAFT in the UK are we??
I have found use of cruise control actually helps my anticipation of traffic - you tend to make minute adjustments of speed using up-down buttons.
In any case after braking you can always press the resume button, rather than creap up the speed slowly the XJ will drop a couple of gears and go....
In any case after braking you can always press the resume button, rather than creap up the speed slowly the XJ will drop a couple of gears and go....
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