Cruise control allows drivers to relax and let the car take over. However, the use of it can be extremely dangerous in certain situations. One key question that you may ask is about safety. Does using the feature make driving safer, or does it increase the chance of having an accident?
Is Cruise Control Safe?
A Wall Street Journal report desc describes how this feature impacts driving. It quotes a French study. This study concluded that motorists using cruise control may have a higher risk of drowsy or distracted driving. This is because using it may cause drivers to be less vigilant and be inactive. As a result, they may not respond appropriately or quickly enough to emergency situations.
The researchers found that when they instructed the test subjects to utilize this setting on their vehicles, drivers in three different age groups showed signs of drowsiness and delayed reaction times. Most notably, the drivers in the youngest age group of 18 to 30 years old showed the most signs of fatigue. The researchers found that drivers’ episodes of drowsiness increased by 25 percent when they used cruise control compared with those who did not. Researchers also found that reaction time for emergencies increased by an average of one second.
However, the study showed that the feature helps to reduce speeding. This is an important benefit as speeding is a contributing factor in about a third of all car accidents. Unfortunately, while motorists with cruise control might not be as likely to speed, the use of the feature increases the risk of drowsy driving and distracted driving accidents.
The Evolution of The Feature
Overall, cruise control is evolving to become safer. Adaptive cruise control (“ACC”) is an advanced feature that many modern vehicles offer. ACC with Stop and Go takes the cruise control feature one step further by using a radar sensor and a forward-facing camera that allows the system to detect a vehicle directly ahead of you and adjusts the cruise settings accordingly, eliminating the need to manually adjust the settings.
Although there have not been any studies done on the effectiveness of ACC at preventing accidents related to drowsiness or distracted driving, a driver still should never rely entirely on it or become complacent, as technology can sometimes be unpredictable and other drivers even more so.
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