Most people will agree that driving long distances would be a much more stressful and exhausting experience without the convenience of cruise control. Indeed, for many people, embarking on a long road trip without cruise control is hardly an option. But despite its benefits and convenience, not everyone is clear on when to use cruise control – and when not to.
Cruise control is best used on the highway or freeway when traffic is light, the road is straight, and there are few – if no – hills. It’s particularly useful for mitigating fatigue and discomfort on long drives. However, in certain conditions or terrains, using cruise control can be hazardous.
Of course, not everyone likes using cruise control and it’s by no means a necessity in any circumstance – but it can certainly be helpful in some situations. Let’s start by looking at the instances in which it can be both beneficial and safe to employ cruise control.
When To Use Cruise Control
Now we are assuming you already know what cruise control is. It comes in handy when you want to give your foot a break and work out any cramps or stiffness during a long haul. You can turn it on, set your speed, and move your ankle around or reposition yourself safely, without worrying about losing speed – as long as you keep your eyes on the road.
It’s also useful for avoiding accidental speeding or slowdowns if you have an unconscious tendency to occasionally get lost in thought and find yourself going too fast or too slow (as most of us humans do on long road trips).
But whenever you want to employ cruise control for these purposes, you’ll want to make sure the conditions are right so you aren’t compromising safety for comfort and convenience. In other words, you should only use cruise control if the following criteria apply:
- There’s little to no traffic. – Cruise control is all about maintaining a consistent speed, so if you’re constantly having to brake, change lanes, and dodge traffic, you’ll be at cross purposes. But beyond being frustrating, trying to use cruise control in heavy traffic can be dangerous – it’s best to be in complete control to deal with unpredictable drivers or emergencies.
- The weather and road conditions are good. – It’s also best to have total control of the vehicle in hazardous driving conditions (heavy rain, snow, fog, slick roads, dirt roads, construction zones, etc.). If the road is dry and you have good visibility ahead, it’s probably safe to set your speed and relax your foot.
- The road is fairly straight and flat. – Cruise control works best when the curves are wide and the gradients are mild. Hairpin turns and steep hills can not only be dangerous if cruise control is engaged, but they can also put undue strain on the engine or transmission and lead to excessive fuel consumption.
- You’re awake and alert. – Cruise control isn’t a substitute for safe, attentive driving. If you begin to feel drowsy and have trouble staying awake while driving behind the wheel, relaxing your foot and taking your mind off the speedometer will only make you more so.
When Not To Use Cruise Control
From the rules above, it’s easy to infer when you shouldn’t use cruise control, but each point deserves repeating as well as elaboration.
Many of today’s cars come with adaptive cruise control or “semi-autonomous” cruise control, which have added safety features (minimum safe following distance, lane-assist, etc.) to help prevent collisions. These advanced features can be helpful, but they are imperfect, and it’s always important to remember that you should never rely on any type of cruise control or automatic safety feature to keep you safe – that responsibility falls on the driver alone.
With that in mind, if any of the following criteria apply, you should NOT use cruise control:
- You’re feeling drowsy or inattentive. – Cruise control or no, getting behind the wheel when you’re sleepy or distracted is a recipe for disaster. Studies have even shown that using cruise control can increase the likelihood of a drowsiness-related incident, as people tend to get too relaxed with nothing to do but steer.
- Traffic is heavy. – Using cruise control in heavy (or even moderate) traffic isn’t just unsafe, it’s also a tall order – it would be downright miraculous to make it across town on a freeway at any time of day without having to hit the brakes! Even semi-autonomous cruise control systems, with all their amazing features like automatic lane-changing and traffic-matching, are meant to assist the driver, not to be relied upon completely for navigating traffic safely.
- You’re in hazardous weather or road conditions. – The main risk with using cruise control in inclement weather or on a torn-up road is that the vehicle will be traveling too fast over a patch of water, ice, or gravel and cause the driver to lose control. Another major risk is that the driver has less control and a slightly slower response time if their foot is in a relaxed position. But rain, fog, dust, and snow can also interfere with the sensors in an adaptive cruise control system, even to the point that the system will be disabled.
- The road has many hills. – The cruise control system will rev the engine and work harder to maintain the set speed on its way up steep inclines. This will not only burn extra fuel but can also put unnecessary wear and tear on the engine and transmission.
- The road has many narrow turns. – It’s also best not to use cruise control on mountainous roads with a lot of sharp curves and grade changes. Cruise control will try to keep your vehicle at the set speed, even through turns and around blind curves, which can be extremely dangerous. After all, there’s a reason the posted speed limit tends to be lower for particularly hard curves or steep grades.
- The speed limit changes often/You need to make frequent stops. – In general, it’s a good idea to resume manual control when passing through cities and towns with various speed limits or a lot of stoplights. In fact, some cruise control systems will only engage above a certain speed to discourage their use anywhere but on a highway.
In Conclusion
Cruise control is a great tool for making long trips and interstate travel more manageable, but it should always be used responsibly and in the right circumstances. Even with today’s incredible advancements, we’re still a long way from safe self-driving cars – so whenever you get behind the wheel, make sure you stay alert and focused on the road, whether your car or your foot is in charge of the speed. Thanks for reading!