Cruise control in the rain

[Amanzi]

I didn't know this. Thought others might not either. Twice recently I have hydroplaned when coming up to a red light. I hate to think what might have happened if I had sped up.



A woman had a wreck a couple of weeks ago and totaled their Lincoln Town
Car. She hydroplaned on Hwy. 135 between Gladewater & Kilgore, Texas.


She was not hurt, just emotionally rattled!

She learned a lesson I'd like to pass on to you. You may know this
already--but the highway patrolman told her that you should NEVER
drive in the rain with your cruise control on. He said if you did and
hydroplaned (which she did) that when your tires were off the road your car
would accelerate to a high rate of speed (which it did). You don't have
much, if any control when you hydroplane, but you are totally in the hands
of God when the car accelerates. She took off like she was in an airplane.
She is so thankful she made it through that ordeal. Please pass the word
around about not using cruise control when the pavement is wet or icy. The
highway patrolman said this should be on the sun-visor with the warning
about airbags.

The only person she found out who knew this (besides the patrolman)
was a man who had a similar accident and totaled his car. This has made her
wonder if this is not why so many of our young people are dying in
accidents. Be careful out there!

[bfez1]

I have never used cruise control---don't feel comfortable w/it.

[Lindaloo]

While cruise control may be a comfort to some, I never use mine. I feel like I have no control when in use.

There was alot of publicity concerning the SUV and its roll over ratio. Alot of those rollovers would probably never occurr when having a blowout. People's reflexes tend to hit the brakes during a blowout, that is a big NO NO. When hydroplaning hitting your brakes is also a big NO NO. Ease your foot off the accelerator never slam on brakes in either case.

[Miss Mary]

My husband swears by cruise control and uses it a lot, especially on vacations? Me? I hate it! Thanks for the warning. Wonder if my hubby would listen though......I'll mention it.

[Lindaloo]

Case and point... last summer while traveling to Roswell, GA on I-65, I noticed a Toyota 4-runner ahead of me. I passed him. Then he in turn passed me again. Right when he got back into the lane there was a huge puff of white smoke. I saw the SUV swerve to the left then back to the right and then in the emergency lane. I pulled over in front him and ran back to the vehicle only to find an elderly man and his wife. The wife was visibly shaken. I got her out of the vehicle and tried to comfort her. I called the HWY Patrol. After everything was calm I told the HWY patrol exactly how that elderly man handled that SUV. He did a very good job controlling that vehicle and that hwy patrolman commended him. About a month later I received a letter in the mail from that elderly couple telling me how much they appreciated what I had done for them. I , in turn, replied back to them thanking him for controlling that SUV the way he did because the outcome could have been alot worse had he not.