Do you use your cruise control when it's raining?

Question

I wonder how  many people know about this ~  

A 36 year old female had  an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A
resident  of Kinston, NC she was traveling between Kinston and Jacksonville.
 It was raining, though not excessively, when her car  suddenly began to
hydro-plane 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 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 when your
car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact  with the pavement, your
car will accelerate to a higher rate of  speed making you take off like an
airplane.

She told the  patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

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.

NOTE: Some  vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to
set the cruise control when the windshield
 wipers are on.

eric · Accepted Answer

No, I don't use my cruise control when it's raining. The main reason is if I have to slow down, I don't want to break. It's easier to slow down by taking your foot off of the gas unlike with cruise control, I'll have to tap my break to cancel the cruise speed. And it's not good to tap your breaks in the rain because the car could skid and I don't have ABS on my 1991 Honda Accord. 

Your reason of not using cruise control is an important one that all drivers should know.

Friendly Stranger.. · Answer

Honestly I don't use cruise control, but one should never use cruise control in the rain.  First of all, using cruise control under those conditions causes a lack of control.  If you should come up against standing water you may lose control which means you would hydroplane which can lead to an accident.  I'm glad that you are invoking awareness.  There are many hazards out there as it relates to driving.  We don't need drivers utilizing their cars and not being educated of the hazards that lie on the road.  You increase the risk of an accident when you use cruise control in the rain or any type of inclement weather.  In my opinion you are better off without cruise control period, but its up to the person to use it or not.  I don't use it because I'm more comfortable driving regularly.  But again driving with it in the rain is hazardous.

Brian A · Answer

The story is pretty much BS (I have seen the same story with several different cities and there is no way for the car to literally take off into the air) but it is true that you can maintain control better in the rain by leaving the cruise off.

smoothie · Answer

When I am driving a vehicle with cruise control I use it constantly, I've never had a problem.

Mikel S · Answer

I only use my cruise control when i'm in a business district.

Anonymous · Answer

I would have thought this would be common sense, It does say it in your owners manual on all vehicles as well, I guess some people are too dumb to realize it.

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Do you use your cruise control when it's raining?

6 Answers