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        New Message Board Archives >> Oct-Dec 2003 >> Serious Warning - non-ch
        
(Message started by: ClusterChuck on Oct 31^st, 2003, 3:02am)

Title: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by ClusterChuck on Oct 31^st, 2003, 3:02am

TaraAnn forwarded this to me. I had seen it one other time, and I forwarded it on to all my relatives. I feel it needs to be passed on to this family, too.

A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater &Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessive, 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 highway patrolman 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 highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on and your car begins to hydroplaned - when your tires loose contact with the pavement - your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

We all know you have little or no control over a car when it begins to hydroplane. You are at the mercy of the Good Lord. The highway patrolman estimated her car was actually traveling through the air at 10 to 15 miles per hour faster than the speed set on the cruise control.

The patrolman 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 pavement is dry.

The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled 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.

Thank you for sending me this, TaraAnn

Chuck

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by OneEyeBlind on Oct 31^st, 2003, 4:58am

Hey, thanks for the warning. Never knew that !

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by sandie99 on Oct 31^st, 2003, 5:47am

Thanks for the warning! :)

Best wishes & PFdays,
sandie99

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Prense on Oct 31^st, 2003, 8:34am

Damn good info Chuck...I learned this through experience although I was able to regain control.

Thanks for passing that on!

Chris

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Mark C on Oct 31^st, 2003, 8:47am

You don't need cruise control to wreck in the rain, trust me...but it helps...good advice Chuck. Lucky for us most newer cars with traction control will not exhibit this effect....but I don't have traction control! Look here (http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/wetroad.asp) and here (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=cruise+control+rain). I drove a semi for over ten years with a stick jammed against the gas pedal for cruise control...ahhh....the good old days!

Happy Motoring!,
Mark

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by BarbaraD on Oct 31^st, 2003, 8:56am

And it HAD to have happened near Gladewater -

Thanks Chuck.. No more cruise control in the rain. Staying off the road to Kilgore too... LOL!

Hugs BD

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Karla on Oct 31^st, 2003, 9:01am

Thanks for sharing the valuable information. I will pass it on to my family and friends.

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Ueli on Oct 31^st, 2003, 9:33am

Moderate good Urban Legend

Aquaplaning means loss of friction between wheel and road. No amount of pushing the accelerator, either by foot or by the cruise control, will speed up the car: Since through aquaplaning all grip of the wheels is lost there is no way to bring the power to the road, the driving wheels just spin wildly.
For the average car to take off like an airplane you'll probably have to reach a speed of several hundred miles per hour.

Nevertheless, it's a good idea to disengage the cruise control under bad road conditions.
We oldtimers, that still drive a real car, know: the first thing to do when the car starts skidding is to put your left foot on the clutch. Then the chances are best that wheels regain grip.

Ask Google (http://www.google.com/search?q=%22urban+legend%22+cruise-control&num=25&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

PFNADs
Ueli

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Prense on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:15am

OK, the lesson I learned was in a front wheel drive car when you begin to plane, the wheels will continue to spin at the rate the computer thinks is needed to maintain the set speed. If your car begins to drift and you try to correct with steering input, you will lose control pretty quickly if there is still power being sent to those wheels. I have experienced it first hand. When it happens, most people tend to panic... Not a good situation to start jamming on the brakes. It's not an urban legend.

About the car "speeding up", the car wont...it will actually slow down due to lack of traction, but the wheels can speed up if cruise is on. The story posted may not meet the laws of physics, but the lesson learned does.

Chris

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by catlind on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:25am

I would think the problem with the cruise on during a hydro plane would come when the tires DO make contact with pavement again.

My [smiley=twocents.gif]

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by cathy on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:47am

on 10/31/03 at 09:33:54, Ueli wrote:

Moderate good Urban Legend

We oldtimers, that still drive a real car, know: the first thing to do when the car starts skidding is to put your left foot on the clutch. Then the chances are best that wheels regain grip.

PFNADs
Ueli

Actually Ueli im going to have to disagree, and also what do you do if the car is automatic, knock it into neutral..??

I personally would steer into the skid and take my foot off the accelerator DO NOT DIP THE CLUTCH as you will lose ALL braking control of the car, because if you put your foot on the brake whilst in a skid, it will increase the skid.

DO NOT DIP YOUR CLUTCH..BAD ADVICE UELI!!

Cathy :)

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by TomM on Oct 31^st, 2003, 11:12am

I thought that NOT using the Cruise control in rain was common sense much like I don't use it in the snow, or when I'm on the beach, or off-roading.
Why, you ask? Because each of these situations demands constant attention by the driver unlike driving across I-40 through the pan handle of Texas, I-70 in Indiana, or the Oklahoma Turnpike on a sunny, weekday afternoon.
Come on, people. I thought you all were smarter than that.
Ulie's point is that this is part of an ongoing Urban Legend. Go to http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/wetroad.asp
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

TomM

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Opus on Oct 31^st, 2003, 12:06pm

I always used cruise control in the rain, of course that's when I was rich enough to drive a rear wheel drive standard with cooper weather masters all the way round. With rainX I could drive at normal speeds when everyone else pulled off the road. Now I drive a K-car so I don't have to worry about cruise.

Opus/Paul

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Prense on Oct 31^st, 2003, 1:36pm

The velocity of a tire at the point where it meets the road is always 0 unless traction has been lost..hydroplaning, burnout, etc...

Deep thoughts by Jack Ass ;;D

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Cerberus on Oct 31^st, 2003, 2:22pm

Another thing to be aware of.............

Front wheel drive cars cannot steer in icy conditions with your foot on the brake. If you go into a slide on ice with front wheel drive and your foot firmly braking, whichever way your wheels are turned is the way the car is going. Anti-lock brakes reduce this a little but do not eliminate it. Better to put the car into neutral, and pump the brakes softly to slow down and avoid losing control :)

Ramon

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by taraann on Oct 31^st, 2003, 3:28pm

Great idea posting that here chuck! I thought that story had a good warning in it true or not true. I hardly ever use cruse control though because it used up more gas than "normal" driving! (always pinching pennies lol)

Since we are talking car safety and freak accidents I also have another warning. When you take your car in for inspection or your scheduled services ALWAYS have them check your wheel bearings throroughly. MY mom's car accident was a "freak accident" I had driven her car the day before her fatal accident and it seemed fine to me. The day she drove it the wheel bearing broke and her tire fell off going down the highway. The officer that did the accident report said she probably had only a few seconds forwarning that there was aprob with her car, a loud screeching sound coming from ther wheel bearing only seconds b4 the wheel came off and when a person is doing 65 mph or more that doesn't leave much time to slow down and stop!

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Prense on Oct 31^st, 2003, 4:40pm

My left front wheel decided it didn't want to remain attached to my 1980 Suuuuzuuuukiiiii Samarai. I was lucky...on a highway, I hear this 'ping' sound and see something shiny flying out of the corner of my eye (axle nut). I was thinking...wtf?? Well, the old beast seemed to be doing ok, so I pressed on... About 30 seconds later...kathump! The left side of the vehicle dropped when this happened and I knew I was in for something bad. My instinct was to get the vehicle stopped (It would do 55mph with a solid 20mph tailwind) ;;D I hit the brakes...notta. I veered onto the shoulder, grabed the emergency brake handle and yanked it as hard as I could. After peeling my teeth off the steering wheel, I got out to see wtf happened. When I saw what had happened, I laughed...alot. Then I hitched my way home. ;;D The axle was held up by about 1/4 lip of metal on the drum. I really miss that tank! ;;D

Funny how all the wheels need to be on for the brakes to work...at least on an oldie like this one.

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Ree on Oct 31^st, 2003, 11:35pm

We learned this the hard way about 10 years ago in my Subaru XT Coupe (I loved that car) Heavy Rain and Cruise control... Thank God Dave was driving because we would have been killed if I had been driving... the car went completely out of control... then it spun and spun and landed just like Dorothy's house on the Wizard of Oz............ becareful out there. love ree

Title: Re: Serious Warning - non-ch
Post by Charlie on Nov 1^st, 2003, 3:04am

Thanks Ueli & Co.

Lots of bright people here.

Urban Legend it is but pretty benign.

Glad you drivers posted though....

Charlie